Zou Hongyan refused to abandon her son. Ding Zheng was born in 1988 with cerebral palsy and in critical condition; she said that a doctor and his father advised her to give him up. Zou attributed his condition to medical negligence during childbirth and replied: “I’m his mother. I would never give up”.
Years later, his father would reject him because of his condition, and after the divorce, he remained in the care of his mother and paternal grandmother.
Ding’s left side had difficulty moving, although his intelligence was unaffected. Zou earned 100 yuan a month, and rehabilitation cost 5 yuan every two days; she also taught etiquette classes and sold insurance. When he said “I can’t”, she replied: “Try”.
Ding attended Peking University and later studied law at Harvard. He earned a master’s degree, passed the New York State bar exam in one year, and began working as legal counsel in his hometown.
