In the end, doctors told them that she would be paralyzed within three years because of the limited medical treatment available at the time.

Zhang went home and suspended her studies.

"At the beginning, I really believed I would return to school someday when I recovered. But one day, when I was 9, I woke up with piercing pains in every joint," she said. "I could not move my body, and the pain has accompanied me ever since. It even keeps me awake at night, sometimes."

Treatments prescribed by village and county doctors did little to alleviate the symptoms, so she was forced to stay at home in bed, bringing her endless pain and loneliness.

To help relieve their daughter's sadness and encourage her, Zhang's parents gave her books and often told her inspirational stories.

Gradually, she found her way in life, and it all started with an idea she had when she was 12.

When she first said that she wanted to learn painting, her mother was surprised but immediately got her daughter all the supplies she needed. Zhang's deformed fingers made it difficult for her to draw, but after numerous failures, she finished her first sketch－a copy of an illustration she'd seen in a book.

"I've loved painting since I was child. It calms my heart, and even my pain seems lessened while I paint," she said.