Single mom refuses to give up disabled baby with ‘low intelligence’, nurtures him all the way to Harvard
When Zou Hongyan gave birth to her son at the Jingzhou District Hospital in China’s Hubei Province in July 1988, she was told there was no point in raising him. “There is little value in rescuing the baby. He will become mentally disabled or paralyzed. I suggest you give up,” a doctor told the new mother about her baby who was born with cerebral palsy. Understandably, Zou was shocked. More so when her husband seemed to agree with the doctor, saying: “We shall give up the baby. He will make our whole life miserable.” However, the 25-year-old was determined not to let any harm befall her son, Ding Ding.
Zou set out on the long journey of rehabilitation training for Ding by herself after divorcing her husband due to their differences over whether to raise the boy. “Of all the disabilities, I was most afraid that Ding Zheng would be mentally disabled,” Zou told Xinhua, reports China Daily. Concerned, she began taking the infant to Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to check his intelligence even before he was 100 days old. After continuous treatment and monitoring, the doctors finally put her worries to rest when the boy turned one, assuring her that Ding’s intelligence level was normal.
“Nothing was more soothing than the news that my precious boy has normal intelligence,” Zou recalled. However, Ding had great difficulties in physical activities due to damaged motor neurons in the cerebellum and couldn’t hold things until the age of one. With his mother’s constant guidance and support, he learned to stand at the age of two, walk at three, and jump at six. Ding needed massage treatment three times a week which cost about 0.7 U.S. dollars per session, which Zou found difficult to manage with her salary of about 14.5 dollars as a teacher in the 1990s.
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71-year-old breaks into song after hiking 2600-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which only 14% manage to finish
The Pacific Crest Trail in the United States is a very long hike, stretching from close to the Mexican border in Southern California to the Canadian border with the state of Washington. It spans a total distance of 2,650 miles through the states of California, Oregon and Washington, according to Lonely Planet. The trek is especially difficult because of the altitude changes and the resultant changes in weather. It could be 90 degrees one day and freezing on another. While many of us dread a simple 15-minute workout, a 71-year-old has managed to finish the grueling trek. According to Instagram users Auti and Chris (@humping_north), “Pa’at reaching the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail after having walked every single step of the 2,653-mile trail.”
Auti and Chris were themselves on the hiking trail when they met the 71-year-old. The couple posted his inspiring journey along with a video of the senior’s joyous and heartfelt emotions as he reached the trail’s end. The caption states, “Few people can say they’ve accomplished such an incredible feat — especially not at 71!”
According to The Wall Street Journal, only about 14% of people who attempt the Pacific Crest Trail succeed in finishing the hike. The feat is an achievement for people of any age, so it’s remarkable to see the bearded 71-year-old achieve the feat. He approaches the trail-end marker and touches it with respect. He breaks into song as soon as he sees the structure, amazed that he’s done it. The song, befitting his situation, goes, “I’ve been waiting… such a long time. Walking such a long way. Such a long way… just to be here, just to be here. Across deserts. I walked through rivers, I climbed mountains, just to see you. Just to see you. I’ve been waiting. Such a long time.”
TV reporter comes out live on air using just a ‘simple yet scary word’ and it’s so inspiring
In life, oftentimes it is the little things that matter. These small steps mean everything in the large picture. Being able to share the same home with the person one loves, taking them out for dinner or introducing them as a partner are some things that make life worth living. @taylorbrucktv, recently on her job as a news reporter, had one of those ‘small moments’ and it meant the world to her. This was the first time she talked about her girlfriend on such a public platform. She shared her feelings on social media. This was a moment of pride for her, as she was her authentic self in front of the entire world.
As per her LinkedIn profile, Taylor Bruck has been working as a reporter with Spectrum Networks for the last 3 years. In her career, she has earned various accolades, like an Emmy Award. In her TikTok video, she was captured discussing the weather with her fellow anchor. Their topic was the holiday season. Bruck asked her fellow anchor, “I know we both are from Ohio, but do you have to be anywhere this holiday season?” The answer was negative. She shared that the only place she would ‘visit’ during the holidays would be her family and that would be the extent of her travel.
This is what prompted Bruck to share her holiday plans. She adds, “I know the extent of my traveling is probably going Cleveland to visit my girlfriend. That’s about it.” There was nothing huge about this declaration. She was not screaming it out in the mountains; it just came up naturally during a friendly conversation with a co-worker. The reception of the declaration was also smooth. The fact that she was in a place where she could accept her identity and talk about her love in front of so many people was worth celebrating.
