Born with a fracture on the first day
In order to let Mi Mi learn common knowledge like a deformed child, her grandmother begged around for a kindergarten to accept her. However, most kindergartens directly refused after hearing about Mi Mi's condition. Finally, a private kindergarten not far from home kindly accepted Mi Mi and allowed her to sit aside and listen to classes.
Not long after, the child's mother remarried, left home, and lost contact ever since.
The Only Relative: Grandmother Under "Super Load"
No. 16, Door 24, Street 119, Qingshan District - when knocking on the door of this house, in the small living room, a little girl with pigtails enthusiastically responded. She was not shy and instead invited us closer to chat. When we reached a pleasant moment in our conversation, she excitedly twisted her body, prompting her grandmother to quickly correct her - "Don't move" - because even a slight movement could result in a fracture. This is a "porcelain doll" named Lin Xinru, who is 5 years and 10 months old. When asked to write her name during the interview, her grandmother smiled through tears - a bright star-like name but an unfortunate child. Due to concerns about her survival, they gave her a nickname - Mi Mi.
Visitors refrained from holding the adorable baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, fearing an accidental mishap. To provide better nutrition, the father, who worked at Wuhan Iron and Steel Group at the time, saved diligently to buy the best milk powder for his child.
Every four months, the grandmother would carry Mi Mi alone, dragging luggage, to Tianjin for injections, costing 3000 yuan each time. With only a 1000-yuan monthly pension, the grandmother had to live frugally for four months after each trip.
"In June last year, I took Mi Mi for a check-up and discovered a compression fracture in her thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. She needed a special lumbar support, which cost over 1000 yuan - I just couldn't afford it," said the grandmother as tears streamed down her face.
Mi Mi: Hoping for Friends' Help
To treat Mi Mi's illness, the grandmother borrowed money from all relatives, scaring them away due to her inability to repay the debts. Now, Mi Mi can only maintain treatment by taking calcium tablets. The grandmother often eats just a bit of red cabbage and drinks plain water to fill her stomach.
Journalist Zhou Yuan wrote this report.
In Mi Mi's words, her grandmother is the only family member she can see and touch.
The grandmother says that the only thing she can teach Mi Mi now is to be rational and independent. Because of this disease, many children of the same age as Mi Mi and her grandfather are afraid to bump into her. Therefore, Mi Mi has few friends, and every visitor to the house becomes her friend in her eyes.
When the child was taken out of the operating room, crying and restless, a check revealed a fractured thigh. Initially thought to be an "accident" during delivery, the diagnosis showed that the child suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta, making fractures a regular occurrence.
Due to fractures, Mi Mi endured immense suffering - during the hot summer days, her body was encased in plaster, unable to turn over. To save money, the air conditioner at home remained unused; she underwent two major surgeries to save her already deformed legs.
Because of Mi Mi and the departed "son," the grandmother struggles to sleep every night - no matter how hard life gets, she isn't afraid. But both have suffered from coronary heart disease for years, and the grandmother has fainted twice while caring for Mi Mi. Her granddaughter is still so young, and she worries deeply about what will happen to this child in the future.
Mi Mi loves singing and dancing but can only fulfill this wish while semi-reclining in bed, causing her elderly grandmother frequent heartaches and tears. Photo by Old Journalist, Intern Gao Long.
Mi Mi likes singing and dancing but cannot stand up. During group exercises with other children, she sits and imitates their movements. Through learning at kindergarten, Mi Mi learned to write and recognize numbers. She hopes to study abroad and see her "father." Every day after returning from kindergarten, Mi Mi diligently "does homework."
Father Killed, Mother Remarried and Left
Sometimes, the understanding Mi Mi asks her grandmother, "Where did Dad go?" The elder can only tell a well-intentioned lie - Dad went abroad to work, and once he earns enough money, he can treat your illness…
Suddenly, a happy family was reduced to just one elderly person and a child - every night, Grandma Wang Tian'e doesn't know how many tears she shed hugging her granddaughter Mi Mi, and the elder began to look increasingly frail.
Time passed slowly as they treated Mi Mi's fractures. On July 28, 2006, an accident turned the remaining time into painful memories.
On January 9, 2004, the birth of her granddaughter Mi Mi made Grandma Wang Tian'e extremely happy.
While the child's father was commuting home, he encountered a group of thugs arguing over a motorcycle. In the struggle, he was stabbed and died despite medical efforts. To this day, the main culprit remains at large, and compensation remains unresolved.