Chinese woman with bone cancer, 23, goes viral for resilience after being called 'burden' by mum

A young woman from Hefei in eastern China has garnered the support of netizens after going viral for her resilience in the face of bone cancer. 

Xia Shiwei, 23, also known as Miracle Xia Xia on Douyin, was initially diagnosed with the disease in 2021 after fainting during her university entrance examinations, according a report in the South China Morning Post on Friday (Jan 23). 

Xia's mother had called the then 18 year old a "burden" and only took her to the hospital upon her grandmother's insistence.

According to Shanghai Observer, Xia has since undergone six major surgeries, ten rounds of chemotherapy and two operations to remove cancerous tumour in her lungs. 

One year after her diagnosis, she also had to have her right leg amputated. 

"Trading a leg for a life is worth it," Xia said. 

However, Xia's father cut off contact after her diagnosis and her mother did the same after her amputation.

With the abandonment of her family, Xia had to sign the consent forms for her surgeries by herself, starting from an operation on her lung when she was 19.

“The surgical consent form was full of risk warnings; my hands were shaking," she said. 

"I was young, terrified, but I had no choice but to sign.”

Despite her hardships, Xia enrolled at Hefei Normal University and sold crocheted toys on the street to earn money.

She then turned to social media, deeming it the only work she could do while managing her treatment.

Her Douyin account, which she started in 2022, now has more than 460,000 followers, with netizens praising her for her courage and optimism. 

Donations online defray 90 per cent of her treatment costs.

On her account, Xia keeps things upbeat and asks followers to call her "Princess".

She has also listed her age as 100 on her profile in hopes of living a long life.

Earlier this month, Xia learnt that her cancer had metastasised further to her ribs and pleura - or lining around the lungs - but doctors at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai assured her a fighting chance with chemotherapy and surgery.

Meanwhile, her followers tell her: "Princess, make sure to recover your health."

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drimac@asiaone.com