FILIAL PIETY AT ITS BEST

Loving son takes his paralysed dad to Chinese university and rigs up special bed so he can stay the full term

Father is paralysed, mother is mentally disabled from battle with meningitis
Took care of his mother for most of his life, but still got into top university

Guo Shijun manages to take care of his father full time and earn top marks
He has since earned a scholarship to help him pay for school and care

By LUKE GARRATT

Most people could forgive Guo Shijun if he gave up on his dream of a university education: because of his full time commitments to caring for his paralysed father and sick mother, he is spread incredibly thin.

Most people would forgive him, but it is possible Shijun wouldn't forgive himself, as instead of giving up his studies, he persuaded university officials to let his father to stay in his dorm for the full term, after he was paralysed in a building accident.

Shijun still managed to get a place at a top university, and, impressed with his dedication in the face of insurmountable odds, they let him bring his father to university with him to lighten his load. 

Chinese student Guo Shijun (right) prepares a meal for his father in his dorm while his father (left), who is paralysed from the waist down, rests in the specially installed bed.

Guo Shijun takes a picture with his father. For most of his life he has been a young carer, and his workload only doubled when his father became disabled

Shijun, now 20, came from a poor family and had a tough childhood, as his mother was left mentally disabled when he was younger following a battle with meningitis. 

She was cared for during his formative years by him and his father, and despite this responsibility, he still managed to get top grades at school.

His already tough workload got worse when his father was injured after falling 15 meters off of a bridge he was working on in the city of Liuan in the Anhui province in the centre of China, becoming paralysed from the waist down.

Shijun's grandparents took over care duties for his mother, but they couldn't look after his father as well, so he rented a small room near his university dormitory and moved his father in, so that he didn't have to keep rushing to check up on him between lessons and during lunch.

Despite insurmountable odds, Guo Shijun has managed to earn top marks at university, and a scholarship for his good grades.

Guo Shijun installed his father in his dorm room so that he wouldn't have to go far to check on him between lectures

To keep up his studies he paid for university by borrowing money from friends and relatives until he finished. These costs, amount to £2000 a year for tuition alone, not accounting for food, bills and the cost of care for his parents.

However, despite the huge handicap to his studies, he managed to earn a scholarship to help him on his way.

Talking about his experiences, Shijun said: 'I can't say life is easy but the only way out of the problem is through hard work so I'm not complaining.

'I think once I graduate things will get much better.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2543442/Loving-son-takes-paralysed-dad-Chinese-university-rigs-special-bed-stay-term.html#ixzz2ri1eFRTD