Sichuan father “dugs a grave in advance” for seriously ill daughter, miraculously recovers and replants sunflowers to welcome new life

A girl in Neijiang city in China’s Sichuan province was born with severe thalassemia and will need blood transfusions for the rest of her life. She may also suffer from developmental delays and heart disease.Complications . Her father dug a grave for his daughter when she was 2 years old, but his daughter miraculously recovered and the father turned the grave into a garden.

South China Morning Post quoted Chinese media as saying that the girl’s name was Zhang Xinlei. She was so seriously ill that she was almost isolated from the outside world. She often played alone with the puppies or in the sand at her neighbor’s house. Although stem cell transplantation can cure the disease, finding a matching donor remains a major challenge. When Zhang Xinlei was young, her father Zhang Liyong worked in a glass factory, earning only 2,500 yuan per month. At that time, despite generous donations from the villagers, Zhang Xinlei’s medical expenses still exhausted her family’s savings.

Zhang Liyong dug a grave on his property in June 2017 and lay down in it to play with Zhang Xinlei. She called the grave her daughter’s “final resting place” and expressed her hope that her daughter would become familiar with the grave and would no longer be afraid of death. The wife also put up a sign nearby, calling on the public to lend a helping hand.

Society’s reaction to this was polarizing. Supporters expressed sympathy for the Zhang family’s plight and called on the government to intervene to assist; Critics accused Zhang Liyong of violating cultural taboos or using her daughter’s suffering to attract attention. One netizen said: “I will never let my child lie in a grave. This is every parent’s worst nightmare.”

Things finally changed after the Zhang family’s plight drew national attention. A crowdfunding campaign raised money for Zhang Xinlei’s medical expenses, and the local government also covered most of his medical expenses. Zhang Xinlei’s sister was born in August 2017, and her family saved her sister’s umbilical cord blood. Zhang Xinlei later underwent an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant that lasted eight hours.

The treatment was seen as the only possible cure for his condition. After a long recovery, it was reported that Zhang Xinlei’s blood test results returned to normal and he no longer needed monthly blood transfusions, but only regular rehabilitation. According to China’s Marriage and Family magazine, a local entrepreneur later paid for the relocation costs. Photos recently circulated on the Internet show Zhang Xinlei’s daily life. Her mother also told the media that medical examinations had confirmed that her daughter was in good health.

Chinese media reported that Zhang Xinlei, who is now in primary school, has become a cheerful and lively girl who likes painting and dancing, and her academic performance is also very good. The parents turned their dug grave into a sunflower garden. Her mother lovingly called this place Zhang Xinlei’s “magical garden” and believed that it would bring good fortune to the entire family.

Zhang Xinlei’s latest situation recently once again attracted attention on the Internet. A netizen left a message saying that Zhang Xinlei had already entered the tomb once and that the page had been turned. He expressed hope that now everything will be good in his life. Another netizen said that this is the best news he has seen this year. Charity and social support should play such a role.