Love Propels Chinese Father To Walk 18 Miles Every Day

Love gives us incredible strength. Don't buy it? Just read about a very special man, and you'll become a believer.

In touching news out of China, one man has made incredible sacrifices to be a stellar father, and make sure his son gets a proper education. Yu Xukang, 40, walks a total of 18 miles every day to take his son to school. The child, Xiao Qiang, 12, is physically disabled, with twisted arms and legs and a hunched back. But as his father says, "I know that my son is physically disabled but there is nothing wrong with his mind. However, I couldn't find any school here with the facilities to accept him and was constantly rejected. In fact the only place where I could get a place for him was at the Fengxi Primary School in Fengyi township in Yibin county in Sichuan province - which is a five-mile walk away."

So, Yu Xukang did what any devoted parent would do: he dug deep and decided to make the daily trek for his child. Yu Xukang carries his son in a special basket on his back every day to and from school, before returning to their hometown to work. All told, Yu Xukang makes four trips to and from the school every day, totaling 18 miles. He estimates that since the pair began making the long walk, he has trod about 1,600 miles.

Yu Xukang is raising his son as a single parent, having separated from his wife when the child was three years old. Yu Xukang is making every effort to do right by his son, first and foremost making sure that he has all the benefits of education that any other child would have. He has big aspirations for his little boy, saying "…I am proud of the fact that he is already top of his class and I know he will achieve great things. My dream is that he will go to college."

Something wonderful came of Yu Xukang’s efforts; the local government has offered the little family housing closer to the school. In addition, the school is preparing to take on boarding students like Xiao Qiang, to make access to education easier on the student and their families.

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