Cerebral palsy boy, abandoned by father, graduated with master's degree from Harvard

Ding Zheng (37 years old) and his mother - Mrs. Zou Hongyan (62 years old) - live in Hubei province, China. Recently, the story of Ding Zheng was mentioned by Chinese media, making many people emotional.

When Ding Zheng was born, both the doctor and Zou’s husband advised her to give up the baby because Ding Zheng’s condition was critical. But Zou firmly objected: “I am his mother. No matter what, I will not give up on him. I will save him to the end.”

Chàng trai bại não, bị cha ruồng bỏ, tốt nghiệp thạc sĩ Harvard - 1 — Ding Zheng with his mother after graduating with a master's degree in law from Peking University (Photo: SCMP).

Thanks to his mother's perseverance, Ding Zheng was actively treated and overcame the critical period in his early days. However, Ding suffered from cerebral palsy, paralyzing the left side of his body. Fortunately, his intelligence still developed normally. He often achieved good results in his studies.

As a university lecturer, Ms. Zou has been persistent in training her son physically at home, combined with attending therapy. Despite witnessing her son in pain and struggling during therapy sessions, Ms. Zou never cried or became discouraged or gave up.

“Because if I cry or try to give up, my child will cry more and will soon give up,” she shared. Ding Zheng’s treatment is very expensive. To earn money, Ms. Zou does many extra jobs, from teaching soft skills to selling insurance, working as a saleswoman...

When Ding was 10 years old, Zou decided to divorce her husband, because he was always cold towards his sick son. After the divorce, Ding's grandmother moved in with the mother and son.

Chàng trai bại não, bị cha ruồng bỏ, tốt nghiệp thạc sĩ Harvard - 2 — Ding Zheng has a master's degree in law from Harvard University (Photo: SCMP).

The sentence Mrs. Zou heard her son say most often during his journey to adulthood was: “You can’t do it.” In response, she always said: “Just try.” It was Mrs. Zou’s way of raising her son that helped her son live strong, make efforts, and not blame his circumstances.

Ding was a good student since primary school and maintained a steady academic performance. In 2007, Ding was admitted to many top universities in China, choosing Peking University. He then continued his postgraduate studies at Peking University's School of International Law.

With the encouragement of his teachers, Ding applied and was accepted into the Master of Law program at Harvard University (USA). After receiving his Master's degree from Harvard, Ding returned to China. He currently works as a legal advisor for a company in his hometown in Hubei Province.

In an interview, Ms. Zou once shared: “Seeing my child succeed in life, I always remember the newborn baby who almost had his breathing tube removed if I had not firmly protected him to the end. That child was also bullied a lot by his friends when he was in school. But every long night will pass.”

Chàng trai bại não, bị cha ruồng bỏ, tốt nghiệp thạc sĩ Harvard - 3 — Ding Zheng with his mother as a child and now (Photo: SCMP).

The story of Zou and her son has gone viral on Chinese social media. One netizen commented: “Zou is a great mother, giving her son all her love and constant companionship. In the end, mother and grandmother stayed with Ding Zheng, while father left. Women are probably the pillars of the family.”

Many others admire Mrs. Zou's determination, love and intelligence, as she knows how to teach her children to overcome their circumstances, to become people with knowledge, dignity, life skills and confidence to integrate into the community.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/chang-trai-bai-nao-bi-cha-ruong-bo-tot-nghiep-thac-si-harvard-20250601160120957.htm