BEIJING: A 75-year-old grandfather became a beauty influencer to raise money for his grandson with a rare disease, saying he did so out of love for his only daughter.
Zhu Yunchang, from eastern China’s Jiangsu province, looks after his nine-year-old grandson Cao Jingyan during the day and live‑streams at night.
Zhu usually live‑streams until midnight, and his wife stays up to keep him company.
Zhu is doing this to raise money for Jingyan’s treatment in the form of injections, which cost around 1.4 million yuan (US$206,000) a year.
Viewers who watched his live‑stream would sometimes see an elderly man clumsily applying make-up on his face, swatching lipsticks on his forearm to compare colours like other beauty influencers.
But his daughter, Zhu Wei, said he was better at wearing make-up than her.
Zhu senior said he took on the responsibility of caring for Jingyan not only because he is his grandfather, but also because he is a father.
Nine years ago, six‑month‑old Jingyan was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disease that damages motor neurons in the spinal cord and causes progressive muscle weakness and respiratory issues.
There are reportedly 30,000 living SMA cases in China, with 1,200 new cases each year. Jingyan has SMA Type 1, the most severe form of the condition.
The doctor told Zhu Wei that her son would only live 18 months.
The news shattered her; she stared at her son blankly all day long.
Devastated by his daughter’s mental collapse, Zhu senior decided to take over the responsibility of looking after Jingyan.
“She is my only daughter. If anything happens to her, my whole family will collapse,” he said.
Zhu senior went to the rehabilitation department of the local Children’s Hospital, pretended to be another patient’s family member, and learned massage skills from the therapists.
After mastering the skills, he now gives massages to Jingyan every day. Even when Zhu senior was sick, he would wear layers of masks to prevent passing germs to his grandson and stick to the massage routine.
In 2019, the specific medicine for the disease, nusinersen, was approved in China. The medication, which is said to significantly increase survival rates and improve patients’ quality of life, costs 700,000 yuan (US$103,000) per injection.
The boy needs two injections a year.
Zhu senior sold his flat and borrowed money from relatives to raise funds for the treatments.
His daughter worked at her job during the day, and live‑streamed in the evenings.
No company would hire a man in his 70s to endorse their products, so he live‑streamed with beauty products his daughter had bought.
Luckily, the medication was covered by China’s medical insurance in 2021, and each injection has cost 33,000 yuan (US$4,800) since then.
Jingyan has also grown to nine years old now. On his better days, he could even go to school to study and play with other children.
Jingyan’s father remained hidden in the family’s videos and media reports.
“My father seems to carry a super engine on his back all the time. He is a superman, super dad and super grandad,” Zhu Wei said.
Zhu senior said his wish is for Jingyan to be able to stand independently.
Jingyan loves singing and learns from an online teacher every day. He once told his grandfather that he wanted to go to university in Qingdao, Shandong province, where he now lives for better treatment, in the future.
Zhu senior told his grandson: “I support you no matter what you decide.”
Their story has moved many online.
“He truly demonstrated the saying that ‘A father’s love is like a mountain’,” one commenter said.
“Family bond is more precious than any other relationship in the world,” said another. - South China Morning Post
