Despite having had her legs amputated at a very young age, Li Juhong somehow managed to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. The 37-year-old has been treating patients for the past 15 years in her hometown of Wadian village, in southwest China’s Chongqing province.

Li was only four years old when she was involved in a tragic accident – a truck ran over her and her legs were crushed under its tires. The only way to save her life was to amputate them. But Li, an incredibly resilient child, didn’t lose hope. She was determined to stay mobile and by age eight, she taught herself to move using her hands and two wooden benches for support.

It was undoubtedly difficult, but Li never let her condition dampen her dreams of studying medicine. She left the village to earn a medical degree from a special vocational school, returning in the year 2000 to work at the village clinic. Since then, she’s treated nearly all the 1,000 residents of the village, even managing to make house calls on her unique set of crutches – her trusty old benches.

Li eventually married a local man, Liu Xingyan, who has been extremely supportive of her career. He quit his job to take care of housework, and sometimes also carries her on his back to visit patients in neighboring villages. It is estimated that with Xing’s help Li has so far handled a total of 6,000 medical cases from various villages in the mountainous regions of Hechuan district. She has worn out 24 benches in the process.

“I just did what I felt I had to do,” she told the local media. “Even if I’m not honored for my work, I would still continue to do my job as a rural doctor. Compared with most others, I’ve come against more difficulties. But, I always whisper to myself that ‘God helps those who help themselves’ in order to keep moving.”

Li’s 12-year-old son looks up to her as a role model, and wants to become a doctor just like her.

Photos: China News

Sources: People’s Daily, Shanghaiist