Chinese airline, public help handicapped boy 'fly'

Four-year-old boy Li Haifeng joins a special tour of a plane and its cockpit. [Photo: Ma Luyao/IC]

A four-year-old Chinese boy believes that he has wings to fly even though he does not have legs.

Li Haifeng, who was born in a small village of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hubei Province, had his legs amputated after a car accident two years ago.

But the boy always wants to have wings and fly in the sky. Wuhan branch of China Eastern Airlines made him a "little pilot" on Wednesday.

Li and his parents were invited to Tianhe airport in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei, to join a special tour of a plane, which is under repair, and its cockpit.

Under the guidance of pilots, Li sat in the cockpit and "flew" in the sky.

"It was the first time for the boy to see a real plane. He was extremely happy," said Li Liangbin, an official with the airlines.

He said the airlines will provide free tickets to the boy and his family when they finished medical treatment in the city for their trip home to Enshi.

Li Haifeng's father is a migrant worker with low income. He is now unemployed because he must take his son to seek medical treatment across the country. The family can hardly make ends meet as they have already spent 180,000 yuan (about 30,000 U.S. dollars) on the treatment.

"Although the family is in debt, I will not give up my son," the father told Xinhua.

He said Li usually sits in a washbasin and "walks" on his hands at home. "He wears three washbasins out on average each month," the father said.

Doctors said when Li will fully recovered is still unknown. In the future, he has to face many challenges. The good news is he will get prosthetic legs very soon.

Li's story was widely spread on the Internet after a video showing the boy who dancing to the popular song "Little Apple" on a hospital bed went viral this week.

His courage and positive attitude have impressed many Chinese, who hoped to extend a hand and help him "fly" up high in the real world.

More than 9,300 web users have donated 500,000 yuan to his family for further treatment.

A family from Tianjin Municipality sent Li some gifts including a MP4 player, two toy planes and some paintbrushes.

"You will recover. When God closes a door, he opens a window for you. Actually, you have a pair of beautiful wings," they wrote in a letter.

Li's story was not the first case in which the public help handicapped or ailing kids fulfill their dreams.

Back in early 2014, a nine-year-old Chinese boy battling a rare muscle disease realized his dream of being a policeman during a kidnap case simulated by local police and residents.