The woman writing a novel with her LEFT FOOT: Disabled 21-year-old has written more than 60,000 words using just her toes
- Hu Huiyuan, 21, suffers from cerebral palsy and relies on a wheelchair
- Can only move her head and her left foot, which she uses to type
- Taught herself to read and write using TV subtitles, her parents say
- Has now written six chapters of novel, due to patience and determination
A Chinese woman so disabled with cerebral palsy that she can only properly control her left foot has stunned the world by writing 60,000 words of a fiction novel using just her toes.
Hu Huiyuan grew up in a rural community in Anhui province, eastern China, where even able-bodied children struggle to get a formal education.
But the now 21-year-old was so determined to learn that she taught herself to read and write using television subtitles.
While she is typing, Hu needs to be fastened to her wheelchair with a belt to stabilise her.
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Hu Huiyuan is disabled with cerebral palsy and can only properly control her left foot. Through sheer determination, she has written 60,000 words of a fiction novel using only her toes
Hu suffers from cerebral palsy - a neurological condition that affect movement and co-ordination
The 21-year-old was so determined to learn that she taught herself to read and write using television subtitles, her parents say
Hu can now comfortably manage 20 to 30 words a minute, and has finished the sixth chapter of her eight chapter book.
And her entire life story has been about defying the odds, say her parents Peng, 49, and wife Sun, 47.
'When she was born the doctors said she wouldn't survive more than a few days, but she did,' said her father, Peng.
'They didn't know what was wrong with her at first, but 10 months later they told us it was cerebral palsy.
He added: 'The only parts of her body she could move were her head and her foot, but she was incredibly determined.
'She eventually learned to do all sorts of everyday tasks using just her foot.'
Interviewed by local TV, Hu said: 'I teach myself.
'I'm so fascinated by the opportunities that being able to read presents.
'Being able to write allows me to communicate with so many more people.
'I'm not a genius but I'm very focused. When you have a disability like this, you have to learn patience.'
The remarkable 21-year-old said: 'I'm so fascinated by the opportunities that being able to read presents. Being able to write allows me to communicate with so many more people'
Now experienced at typing with her toes, Hu can comfortably manage 20 to 30 words a minute, and has finished the sixth chapter of the eight chapter book
Hu added: 'I'm not a genius but I'm very focused. When you have a disability, you have to learn patience'
Although she had been unable to secure a place in a school, or indeed a computer, she got round the problem by getting hold of a TV and learning from the subtitles.
Her mother, Sun, said her daughter's determination had been evident from an early age.
While learning to speak, which was much slower and more painstaking than it would have been for a child who was not disabled, but she said her daughter would sometimes repeat a word 1,000 times until she could say it.
She added:'Typing with just your foot doesn't come easy for anyone, either.'
Hu is not the only example of a disabled Chinese person who, despite the lack of facilities for disabled people in the country, often overcomes huge obstacles to achieve remarkable things.
Last September, Wang Qiang, a 29-year-old man diagnosed with cerebral palsy, fulfilled his dream of joining a professional boxing competition when he signed up in the eastern city of Shanghai.
While she is typing, Hu needs to be fastened to her wheelchair with a belt to stabilise her
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