China woman with bone cancer grieves loss of family support after mum calls her a ‘burden’
Reflecting on initial diagnosis at 18, Xia shares feelings of being lost and in pain but now strives to ‘spend every day as if it were my last’
A woman from eastern China courageously battled bone cancer alone after her parents severed ties with her upon learning of her illness, prompting widespread reactions online.
Xia Shiwei, 23, hailing from a village in Anhui province, fainted while taking her college entrance exams in 2021. Despite her condition, she insisted on completing her test and was subsequently diagnosed with bone cancer.
The illness progressed quickly, leading to the amputation of her right leg a year later.
Her mother labelled her a “burden” and, only after her grandmother pleaded with her, agreed to take her to a hospital in Beijing for treatment. Her father cut off all contact after her diagnosis, and following the amputation, her mother also vanished.
Xia successfully enrolled at Hefei Normal University, where she continued her studies while writing online literature and crafting crochet toys to sell on the street to finance her treatment.
She also created an online account under the name “Miracle Xia Xia” to share her experiences during treatment and her daily life.
That account has since attracted 460,000 followers, many of whom have generously donated to support her through her social media platform.