For most families, there’s a certain expectation that you’ll take care of one another through thick and thin.
Parents raise their children and care for them until they’re grown. In turn, most children know that, someday, they may have to care for their parents as they age, leading to the creation of cool solutions like these “granny pods.”
Of course, for most families, the hope is that children will be fully grown adults before they take on the responsibility of caring for their parents. Tragically, in some cases, that’s not possible.
Take, for example, Zhao Delong, a Chinese university student whose story is equal parts heartwarming and devastating.
Though Zhao is just a young college student, he has willingly assumed a mantle of responsibility far beyond most young men of his age. Without complaint, he became the sole caretaker for his disabled father, while still juggling the busy schedule of an ambitious student.
[H/T: Shanghaiist]
Zhao Delong grew up in in Henan province in China, not far from the Yellow River. Like most young people, he was thrilled when it was finally time for him to go away to college and make something of himself!
But for Zhao, his next big step wasn't a chance to go off and party like most college students. Instead of taking off for school and forgetting to call Mom and Dad for weeks on end, Zhao made the unusual decision to bring his aging father to school with him.
Zhao's father had fallen drastically ill several years earlier, and ended up partially paralyzed as a result of his disease. He now uses a wheelchair for almost everything, and requires help for everyday tasks like bathing and getting to doctors' appointments.
For Zhao, the decision to bring his dad to school with him was a no-brainer — an open-and-shut case of respecting and loving the man who raised him, even as Zhao himself battled a strikingly similar health concern.
As a child, Zhao suffered from polio, the same illness that partially paralyzed former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He, too, was paralyzed, until a life-changing surgery helped him regain his full range of motion.
Zhao's father and mother took care of him with dedication during that time, only for the elder Mr. Zhao to experience the same devastating blow years later. Unable to cope, Mrs. Zhao had a mental breakdown, and her son took up the responsibility, with gladness.
If this young man's remarkable spirit warms your heart, check out the poll below, and make sure to SHARE with your own loved ones!
