Advertisement
Trending in China
People & CultureTrending in China
China boy, 12, inspires millions after defying muscle-wasting disease prognosis of living past 3
‘Little warrior’ Zou graduates from primary school, thanks to his family’s devotion and warmth of teachers and classmates
2-MIN READ2-MIN
Listen
Zoey Zhang
Published: 6:53pm, 14 Jul 2026
A 12-year-old boy in eastern China with a rare disease has graduated from primary school in June, defying doctors who had predicted he would not live beyond the age of three
Zou Weiluo, from Shanghai, was diagnosed at seven months with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a condition that progressively weakens the muscles used for movement, swallowing and breathing
Years of devoted care from his family helped him outlive the prognosis, and he could now move his fingers and flex his elbows slightly
When the first SMA treatment became available in China, each dose cost up to 700,000 yuan (US$103,000). After it was added to the national medical insurance scheme in 2021, the price fell to 33,000 yuan, allowing Zou to receive his first injection
To distract himself, he asked a doctor to give him a maths problem before the procedure. The pain prevented him from finishing it, but his courage earned him the nickname “little warrior”
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
0.8x
0.9x
1.0x
1.1x
1.2x
1.5x
1.75x
00:00
00:00
1.00x
