A Loving Daughter

When Ma ChunXue became a dad at our Family Village in Changchun, he knew his three children, especially his daughter HuiQiu, would require lots care.

What he didn’t know was that caring for them would bring him so much joy.

Born with Down’s syndrome, 18-month-old HuiQiu struggled with the simplest tasks, including eating. HuiQiu was unable to chew and refused everything but milk. It took incredible patience and help from experts Ma found on the internet, but eventually HuiQiu transitioned to solid food—the first spoonfuls HuiQiu swallowed were so welcome that the food was mixed with her parents’ tears.

Ma then started acting like a clown– jumps like a frog, pretends to be a cat catching a mouse, and speaks like baby lion Simba, from “The Lion King,” all to see HuiQui’s face break out in huge smiles.

One night, HuiQiu developed a high fever so her dad rushed her to the hospital. Huiqiu recovered quickly, but Ma collapsed with weariness after their long night. He didn’t wake until he felt a light scratching on his forehead.

When Ma opened his eyes, he saw Huiqiu stroking his head tenderly, imitating the way her dad strokes her head. HuiQiu’s innocent face lit up when she saw her dad wake up. As for Ma, he burst into tears–tears of joy for the loving daughter HuiQiu has become.