Chinese Boy Earns Money for Mother's Operation

And filial piety—honoring parents—is considered a core part of Chinese tradition. If it had a Hall of Fame, this young man would be a very strong contender. Here's his story.

Imagine, you're 13 years old. Your mother has a serious brain tumor, but not enough money to pay for an operation. What do you do?

If you're Luo Weike, you start shining shoes. Enough to make 100 yuan per day. And save up the money.

[Luo Weike]:
"I love my mother very much. She is the most important person in my life because she gave birth to me. What I did is the least I can do for my mom."

Luo is from a small city called Heyuann—he traveled, shining shoes to raise money, as far as 200 miles to the provincial capital of Guangzhou.

When his father passed away a year ago, it left him living with just his mother and an elder sister. His mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor a month after his father's death. Making just 1000 yuan per month, she couldn't afford the operation.

Luo refused to be defeated though, and thanks to his polishing plan, his mother has just gone through the operation.

[Luo Weike]:
"I must take care of her after the operation. I will not leave her so that I can help get anything she wants."

Of course, he couldn't raise enough money on his own to pay for the expensive procedure—but his efforts raised media attention, which brought large donations from people like Chinese film star Hai Qing.

Now his mother is in stable condition following the operation, and Luo could rest—but instead, he's still by her side.