Twelve year old Xiao Qiang was born with a disability that left him unable to walk or ride a bike. The closest school that would accept him despite his condition was miles and miles away from his township in the Sichuan Province. For some kids, this might mean they would never be able to get an education. That’s because some kids don’t have a father like Yu Xukang.
Yu Xukang carries his son to school every single day on an eighteen mile round-trip.
The father was separated from Qiang’s mother when he was three years old, and all nearby schools weren’t able or willing to handle a child with an impairment.
Every morning, Yu Xukang wakes up at 5 AM to prepare lunch for his son. Then he carries him almost five miles to the school, then walks five miles back to go to work. Before his son’s school finishes, he makes the whole trip all over again.
Xukang carries his son in a basket on his back over rocky terrain.
He estimates that he has walked around 1,600 miles since he first started counting.
He’s proud of his son who has quickly risen to the top of his class.
Due to media attention, the Chinese Government has decided to give Yu Xukang an apartment closer to school so he won’t have to walk as far. The school has also started creating accommodations to allow Xiao Qiang to stay there as a boarder.
Xukang hopes his son will attend college one day, and thanks to his father, there’s a good chance he will. It takes an incredible amount of love and dedication to do what he has for his son, and it’s a lesson we could all learn from. Just imagine if everyone started caring this much!