Although suffering from frequent broken bones while growing up, as a result of brittle bone disease, a pair of iron-willed sister and brother in Hubei Province are now able to support themselves as teachers after studying hard and graduating from university. They grew up in a village in the mountains. Their parents gave them home schooling at first because the sick children had to lie on the bed most of the time.
“Our parents kept taking us to doctors to try to find out what disease we were born with,” said 27-year-old Cheng Shuangjia. “We were eventually diagnosed(诊断) with osteogenesis imperfecta(骨脆症) in 1998.”
Although there is no cure for the genetic condition, there are treatments and medicines that can help sufferers. However, the family had no money for any treatment and the two children were sent directly to a grade-three class at a primary school after they could take care themselves.
“Since then, my sister and I knew that studying was the only way to improve our situation,” said Cheng Shuangjia. “We often went to school with the pain. We knew that if we went to hospital, we would have to spend a lot of money on treatment and waste half a year, which would mean missing classes for a whole term,” he said. Their father Cheng Yongbai said, “They showed great perseverance(毅力).”