The incredible strength of a mother’s love Devoted single parent whose twin sons have autism and cerebral palsy
A single mother’s two-decade struggle to raise her twin boys who suffer from both autism and cerebral palsy has moved hearts around the globe.
Ma Zhiqiu, 47, gave birth prematurely to twins Zhang Hangjun and Zhang Yuanjun 21 years ago.
And while life changes overnight for every new mother, Ma’s world turned upside down.
Shocked at his children’s severe health problems, her husband sank into depression.
The couple divorced, forcing Ma to quit her wellpaid job and become the sole carer for her two heavily dependent boys.
And as these poignant images show, every day is a struggle. One of the boys, Hanguin, weighs 250 kilos, and cannot move off the bed or communicate with others, requiring round-the-clock assistance.
But despite her exhausting plight, she insists she has no regrets.
She said: ‘The older boy, Hanguin, has a more severe case of cerebral palsy and is unable to move around the house by himself.
‘But luckily, Yuanjun is able to look after himself a bit more and is able to help me.
‘Both boys are beautiful and I don’t regret anything.’
The family lives in the city of Shanyang in China’s northeast Liaoning Province.
Despite their health problems, the boys’ mother constantly encourages and supports them.
Yuanjun is a gifted singer and attends competitions around the country - winning several awards for his performances singing Italian and Russian classical pieces. ‘He is also a keen piano player and for the past few years he has been having free lessons provided by the children’s welfare centre,’ his mother said. ‘The teachers even donated us a piano so he can play at home.’ When not playing the piano or singing, Yuanjun helps his mother with housework and caring for his brother. She said: ‘I have been teaching him how to look after brother as I won’t live forever. ‘I hope he will learn enough to be able to look after both himself and Hanguin.’
Now Ma’s devotion and dedication have captured the hearts of the nation with people flooding social media with praise after her story appeared in local news.