A Mother's Determination: From Overcoming Adversity to Harvard Law

When Zou Hongyan gave birth to her son in 1988, complications during the delivery left him with cerebral palsy. The doctors in Hubei Province, where she lived, advised her to give him up, but she refused to abandon him.

Despite all the grim predictions about his future, Zou believed that with the right nurturing, her son could overcome his physical limitations and become 'something' in life.

Her husband, expecting a life of misery and disappointment for the child, insisted they give him up for adoption. But when faced with an ultimatum—him or their son—Zou chose her child, divorced her husband, and devoted herself to her son's care, knowing she was the only one who would fight for him.

Zou worked three jobs to support her small family, saving every cent to invest in her son's education one day.

And what a journey it's been. Twenty-nine years later, Ding Ding graduated from Peking University with a degree in Environmental Science and Engineering. Recently, he enrolled in the Harvard Law School. "I just believed he could do it," says Zou now. "But Ding Ding did the hard work and proved to everyone that it's possible."