A courageous man in China has passed away at the age of 40 after a decades-long battle with a rare muscle disease, but his optimistic attitude to life has inspired many people on mainland social media.
Li Zhoujun from Zhejiang province in eastern China, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) when he was eight years old, and doctors told his family he would not live past 20.
While his physical condition did not improve after he lost the ability to walk in secondary school, he still carved out a meaningful life, primarily through computers.
Beginning in 2001, Li taught himself how to design websites and make animations – even though he could only type with three fingers.
He also educated himself about the condition so he could share insights and become a leader in the DMD community.
Li’s decision to not allow his disease to ruin his life was highlighted in 2016 when he continued his mission to help people despite having to function via a life-support machine.
In 2019, he entered the social media space, opening his first WeChat account, where he would eventually publish 145 articles.
In 2020, he launched two Douyin accounts and published 816 video clips for his 171,000 followers.
Throughout the past decades, his family made immense sacrifices to ensure Li could make the most of his life.
They spent almost all of their savings and travelled across China seeking medical treatments, selling fish and breeding pigs to support the family.
Li also created an online shop to sell goods to earn money to support the family and eventually got into live-streaming to help his mother sell waxberries for extra income.
In 2022, the disease worsened, and Li had to go on invasive oxygen life support to survive, which he said was “the most expensive thing I have ever purchased”.
His older sister said the death of her brother was sudden, but added that it provided some relief from a disease that had tortured him for decades.
The story has gone viral in China, with many people expressing their condolences to Li and his family.
One person said: “May the heavens be your resting place.”
“I hope you will be healthy and happy in your next life,” said another.