Girl, 3, takes care of bedridden mother in hospital

Many people in China have been moved to tears after the media reported the story of a three-year-old girl who has taken up the responsibility of caring for her bedridden mother in hospital.

The girl's mother Wang Huixin is recovering from multiple bone fractures sustained from a serious hit-and-run accident in September, CCTV News reported.

Since then, the little girl named Qianqian has been taking care of her mother's daily needs.

Besides fetching food and drinks for her mother, Qian Qian has been cleaning her body with a damp cloth, as well as clearing her waste by taking her bedpan to the toilet.

As Wang recounted their family's ordeal in a video interview with Henan TV, the child can be seen wiping away her mother's tears.

Now, the underprivileged mother and daughter can only rely on each other as Wang's parents were killed in the accident and she has lost contact with her ex-husband after their divorce.

The single mother is also unable to afford the medical bill that has amounted to tens of thousands of yuan as local police have yet to trace the runaway driver for compensation.

After local media reported of the pair's plight, many good samaritans in the country have visited the mother and child at the hospital to donate clothes and money.

Dahe Daily reported that the mother and daughter have received over 6,000 yuan (S$1,300) in donations as of Wednesday (Oct 14).

Meanwhile, members of the public in China have commended the girl for being mature beyond her years, while others have expressed heartache seeing a young child burdened with such a heavy responsibility.

minlee@sph.com.sg