Single Mother Raises Her Son To Become A Harvard Student Despite His Cerebral Palsy

 Zou Hongyan from Jingzhou, Hubei is a proud mother, as she raised her son, afflicted with severe cerebral palsy, to become a law student at Harvard.

Ding Zheng, who was born with cerebral palsy, worked hard and studied at top Chinese university Peking University, and is now studying at Harvard Law School.

Twenty-nine years ago, a medical accident caused intrauterine hypoxia to affect Zou Hongyan's fetus, depriving the fetus of oxygen. Doctors advised Zou to terminate her pregnancy, but she instead persevered to deliver her son, now 29 years old.

Due to her son's severe cerebral palsy and impaired motor nerves, the baby, nicknamed Dingding, was unable to walk until he was 3 years old. Because of Dingding's developmental delays, Zou had to devote much more time and energy to her baby than most mothers do. She worked during the daytime, taking Dingding to the hospital for treatments at night. She also massaged him, and spent her lunch breaks playing games with him to encourage his mental development.

"I never imagined applying to Harvard - it was my mother who encouraged me," Dingding said, adding that Zou always protects and encourages him whenever he doubts himself. In Dingding's eyes, Zou is his spiritual mentor. However, Zou says she just did what any mother would do to help her beloved child thrive.