Some people wonder who will end up taking care of them when they get older. But what happens when you need a caretaker before you’re even old enough to need one? Or even worse, when you absolutely can’t afford to hire one? It’s these hardships in life that force us to grow up and make us stronger. And no one knows this better than an adorable six-year-old little girl from China, who had to rise up to the occasion and help her paralyzed father who needed help moving around, eating, and even sitting on his wheelchair.His prognosis was a grim one, as he has lost the ability to walk and was left paralyzed. This affected his life greatly, as he would now need to find new ways to move around in a wheelchair, having to learn how to do basic things.
Little Jia Jia was only six years old at the time, but that didn’t stop her from stepping up and becoming his primary caretaker. Despite her young age, the little girl started to look after her dad in their Ningxia Province home.
But little Jia Jia wasn’t afraid to take over, and soon enough, she was helping him with pretty much everything. She even helped her bed-bound father move around, get a clean shave, and sit in his wheelchair with the help of a home-made mobility hoist.
A typical day for Jia Jia starts at 6am every morning. The first thing in line is massaging her father’s muscles which helps return blood to his heart, and partially compensates the lack of movement, as he can no longer move around like he used to.
She also helps him wash his face, and even brushes his teeth. But once she’s done with his morning ritual, it’s time for her to leave for school. That’s right! This lovely family understands the value of education, so she makes sure to go to her classes.
Thankfully, they have built a home-made mobility hoist that holds his weight while he moves from the bed to his wheelchair, so he’s still able to remain mobile. Still, Jia Jia’s dad needs constant help, so when she’s in school, her grandparents, who are both farmers, take care of her dad.
A Yangtzi Evening News reporter asked the little girl if she felt overwhelmed by doing so much at home. “Looking after my dad, I don’t feel tired at all,” she responded. But even though she seems to be handling the situation like a pro, it wasn’t easy at first.
40-year-old Tian Haicheng was riding inside a taxi in March 2016, when the cab crashed into a ditch at full speed. Two months after the horrific accident left him paralyzed, Jia Jia’s mother and his wife of seven years decided to abandon them. She even took his eldest son with her. “She told me on the day that she was going to stay in her mother’s home for a few days. But she never returned, and she took our son with her,” said Haicheng. Despite the tragedies this father and daughter had gone through, they’re still glad to be in each other’s life.
