With temperatures in China soaring above 40 degrees Celsius, many people have opted to chill inside IKEAs or overcrowded swimming pools; however, one 12-year-old boy is out in the sweltering streets picking up scraps, hoping to raise enough money to help his stepmother suffering from leukemia.
Wang Zheng is a fifth grade student in Nanyang, Henan province. After his mother remarried, he has been supported mostly by his father who works away from home in the city. The family fell into crisis when Wang’s grandmother became seriously ill. The subsequent medical bills wiped out all of the family’s savings.
With his father away working hard to get out of debt, Wang was cared for by his grandfather until his new stepmother entered his life. She took good care of him, filling the void inside of him that had been empty since his mother left. However, yet again, tragedy struck. Wang’s stepmother was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Of course, as a 12-year-old kid, Wang didn’t know much about the disease that was slowly killing his stepmother or even the medical bill that was reaching past 100,000 yuan. All Wang knew was that he desperately needed some money to save his stepmom.
“She treats me and my grandpa so well. The doctor told me that if she didn’t get treatment as soon as possible, she would die. I don’t want her to do die and I won’t let her go,” Wang said.
Despite the blistering heat, with the mercury rising all the way up to 43.5 degrees Celsius, the skinny boy has spent his summer walking through the streets, picking up all the scraps he can, hoping to earn a little money. While he is searching around, Wang wears a cardboard sign around his neck reading: “Please help save my stepmother and my family” and detailing the family’s sad story.
Wang says that even with life being so hard, he can still find happiness in the little things. After selling a bundle of scraps for just 2.5 yuan, he’s in a good mood for the rest of the day. “I can save my stepmother when I have enough savings!” he says optimistically.
