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A 75-year-old grandfather has turned to live-streaming lipstick swatches to pay for the treatment of his 9-year-old disabled grandson
Zhu Yunchang, from Jiangsu, China, gave up retirement to stream late at night on his smartphone to cover the boy's costly medical care.
According to South China Morning Post, Cao Jingyan was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at 6 months old.
The rare genetic disease causes progressive muscle weakness, and doctors initially give the infant just 18 months to live.
To fund treatments costing 1.4 million yuan (RM837,450) annually, Yunchang began live-streaming using cosmetics bought by his daughter, Zhu Wei
He turned to the creator economy after being rejected by traditional employers due to his age.
Every night, Yunchang clumsily applies make-up until midnight to raise funds.
He took on the role to support Wei, who suffered a mental breakdown following the heartbreaking diagnosis
"She is my only daughter. If anything happens to her, my whole family will collapse," Yunchang said.
He even learned clinical massage skills to help treat Cao daily.
In 2019, an approved drug costing 700,000 yuan (RM419,000) per injection required two treatments annually. The family sold their flat before insurance covered it in 2021.
Now, each injection costs 33,000 yuan (RM19,800), and 9-year-old Cao is happily attending school, playing with friends, and dreaming of university
"My father seems to carry a super engine on his back all the time. He is a superman, super dad, and super grandad," Wei said.
Their bond moved many online.
"He truly demonstrated the saying that 'A father's love is like a mountain'," one commenter said.
