Devoted Son

Tells the story of the struggle of a child who has received great awards in his life.

This story is quite sad and can be called touching because the message in it really touches readers. tells the story of a child's love for his father and remaining loyal forever.

Zhangda, a child in China on January 27 2006 received a high award from the government because he was declared to have done an "Extraordinary Deed". Among the 9 people who won the award, he was the only child selected from China's 1.4 billion population.

What makes him considered extraordinary is apparently his attention and devotion to his father, always working hard and never giving up, as well as his behavior and words that arouse feelings of sympathy.

Since he was 10 years old (in 2001) this child was abandoned by his mother who could no longer stand living with her husband who was seriously ill and poor. And since that day Zhang Da lived with a father who couldn't work, couldn't walk, and was sickly.

This condition forced a snotty boy who was not even 10 years old at that time to take on very heavy responsibilities. He has to go to school, he has to find food for his father and himself, he also has to think about medicines which are definitely not cheap for him. It was in conditions like this that Zhang Da's extraordinary story began.

He was still too young to carry out this difficult and bitter responsibility. He is one of the many children who have to accept the bitter reality of life in this world. But what makes Zhang Da different is that he doesn't give up.

Life must go on, but not by committing crimes, but by taking responsibility for continuing his and his father's life. That was Zhang Da's expression when facing a government envoy who wanted to know what he was doing.

He started a new chapter in his life by continuing to go to school. From home to school you have to walk through a small forest. On his way to and from school, he started eating leaves, seeds and fruit that he came across.

Sometimes he also finds some kind of mushroom or grass and he tries to eat it. From trying to eat them all, he knew which ones his tongue could tolerate and which ones he couldn't eat.

After school hours in the afternoon and evening, he joined several stone masons to cut large stones and earned wages for his work. He used the proceeds from his work as a bricklayer to buy rice and medicine for his father.

He lived like this for 5 years but his body remained healthy, fresh and strong. Zhang Da takes care of his sick father. From the age of 10, he began taking responsibility for looking after his father.

He carried his papa to the toilet, he wiped and occasionally bathed his papa, he bought rice and made porridge, and all his papa's business, he did it all with a sense of responsibility and love. All of this work is his daily responsibility.

Zhang Da himself gave the injection to his father. The high cost of medicine and the distance to the place of treatment made Zhang Da think about finding the best way to deal with all this. Since he was ten years old, he started learning about medicine through used books he bought.

What made him extraordinary was that he knew how a nurse gave an injection to a patient. After he felt capable, he was determined to inject his own father. Now, after approximately five years of carrying out the task of injecting his father, Zhang Da is skilled and expert in giving injections.

When the eyes of the officials, businessmen, artists, and famous people present at the awards ceremony focused on Zhang Da, the host (MC) asked him:

“Zhang Da, what do you want to say, where did you go to school, and what do you miss happening in your life?

How much money do you need until you finish college..?

Where do you want to go to college when you grow up, you name it. Anyway, whatever you want, you name it, there are many officials, businessmen and famous people present here. Right now there are hundreds of millions of people who are watching you on television screens, they can help you..!”

Zhang Da was silent and didn't answer anything.

MC also said to him again,

“You name it, they can help you.”

Zhang Da remained silent for a few minutes, then with a trembling voice he answered,

“I want mommy to come back. Mama, come back home, I can help Papa, I can find food myself, Mama, come back..!”

Everyone present spontaneously shed tears because they were moved. No one expected what would come out of his lips. Why doesn't he ask for convenience for his father's treatment, why doesn't he ask for enough deposits to make his life easier and a little provision for his future...?

Why didn't he ask for a small house close to the hospital...? Why doesn't he ask for a convenience card from the government so that when he needs it, everyone will help him?

Maybe what he asked for was the most important thing for him. I want Mama to come back, a phrase that perhaps he had been harboring since the day he saw his mother leave him and his father.

The story above is not only touching but also arouses admiration. A 10 year old child can carry out heavy responsibilities for 5 years. Life's difficulties have forged this child into a figure who is tough and never gives up.

Zhang Da could be said to be rare, because he is very different from modern children. Nowadays, there are many children whose parents always make things easier for them. For reasons of love, parents always help their children, even though the child is already capable of doing it.