Shen Zhou, aged 28, has level-II disability. A one-armed guy, he supports his own world with a broken arm. He lost an arm in an accident in 2010, and 30% of his body was burned. After rehabilitation, he was still not competent for much work, and employers were unwilling to accept him. The peculiar treatment he received from others made him dispirited. After much thinking, he left his hometown and went to serve as a migrant worker.
An accident lost him an arm
The accident he sustained at age 20 will leave the indelible pain on Shen Zhou. A glorious youth came to an abrupt end. Due to economic reasons, he missed the best time for medical treatment, and had no choice but to have his arm amputated. An artificial limb is installed instead.
Having lost one arm and unable to take care of himself, Shen Zhou depended on his family for daily life, such as going to the toilet, bathing, and eating. He lost the courage to live on several occasions, but the family’s encouragement made him strong again. He began to practice eating, bathing, dressing, and working with another arm. On a morning two years later, he put on a cold artificial arm, and got on the train bound for southern China. Speaking of the decision made at the time, he said that despite the loss of one arm, he still had another. I have legs and I have to stand up again, he said.
The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is cruel. The employment competition is fierce in the coastal cities. Without skills, Shen Zhou who has a low level of schooling was up against a brick wall, and had only to do odd jobs. In a few years, he has traveled in such cities as Guangzhou and Wenzhou.
The dawn arrives and the new journey ushers in a new life
In the morning of March 3, 2017, the phase-II project of “Care for Your Disabled Neighbors” under the Yangtze River New Milestone Program of Hubei Province was launched in Hubei. The training project of giving assistance to disabled people through e-commerce – “Giving an entrepreneurship opportunity to the disabled” was launched in Jishanxincun Community, Xiaoting District. Shen Zhou, who worked as a migrant worker outside, learned of this news through the local news media and the fellow WeChat group. He realized that this would be an opportunity. He got in touch with the project supervision agency Xiaoting District Disabled Persons’ Federation and the implementation agency Xiaoting District E-commerce Association.
After learning about the situation of Shen Zhou, the District E-Commerce Association sent a professional e-commerce teacher to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of him and developed a training program for him. Shen Zhou soon returned to his hometown Yichang after a long period of working outside and reached an agreement with Xiaoting District E-Commerce Association on employment training through e-commerce. Given his actual situation and in order to alleviate his life pressure, E-commerce Association recommended him to the member unit Best Express Xiaoting Branch, where he studies e-commerce technical knowledge every morning and sends packages in the afternoon. He felt the unprecedented warmth of life in E-ecommerce Association, and his passion for work and life has been ignited. A strong guy, he embarks on his journey of life again.
A happy life is built by oneself
In the face of the cruel fate, he achieves self-reliance. Diligent and with a hunger for knowledge, he started from scratch. Under the guidance of the teacher, he learned the photography of products, photo processing, communication skills for customer service, e-commerce platform rules, etc. every morning. Thanks to his strong interest in and sensitivity to e-commerce, he began to sell agricultural products produced by his parents through WeChat. Every afternoon, he rides a modified tricycle among the streets and alleys to deliver hundreds of packages to the customers. Occasionally, some customers asked the delivery of goods upstairs. He uses one arm to hold the package. For big packages, he uses the mouth to help him move package. The recipients are moved by his spirit and say their sorry upon seeing this. After a long time, many customers become his good friends. Everyone is full of praise for Shen Zhou. The persevering will be finally rewarded. After six months, he was promoted as the store director by Best Express, and his own e-commerce business began to get back on track. More and more people are moved by his “positive strength”.
The disable body does not bring a defect to his life. Without his right forearm, he once abandoned himself to despair. With the help of the Yangtze River neighborhood project, he regains confidence and makes self-improvement through hard work. He does not complain nor give up. With one hand, he supports himself and his families. This is a great young man who is self-reliant, positive and optimistic. He has set a good example for us with his actions: where there is heart, there is dream. A single arm can also support the dream!