The story of a father having to dig his 2-year-old daughter’s grave with his own hands because she suffers from a terminal illness and won’t live long, and according to the father, so that the little girl can gradually adapt to the cold grave, has brought many people to tears.

On June 23rd, Zhang Liyong, 24, from Jiuzu Yan village (Neijiang town, Sichuan province, China), had to dig a grave for his 2-year-old daughter by himself.

Liyong had to do this because his daughter, Zhang Lei, was diagnosed with congenital anemia, and his family’s financial condition couldn’t afford treatment for her. Liyong explained that the purpose of digging the grave himself was to help his daughter gradually adapt to the cold, underground life, so that if the worst were to happen, she wouldn’t be too overwhelmed.

It is known that little Zhang Lei was diagnosed with congenital anemia when she was just 2 months old. Since then, Liyong’s family has spent all their money and resources on her treatment. Every month, the little girl has to go to the hospital for blood transfusions to stay alive.

To date, the total amount of hospital fees the Liyong family has spent exceeds 140,000 yuan (about 465 million VND), while Liyong’s worker salary is only 2,500 yuan (about 8.3 million VND), which is insufficient to continue paying for her treatment, even though Zhang Lei’s health continues to deteriorate.

Due to her weak immune system, little Lei also frequently suffers from other illnesses, and because of her constant sickness, no other children in the village play with her. When at home, Lei often plays with the puppy, talks to the ducks, or plays alone in the yard. During her free time, Liyong also takes his daughter out to play or go fishing.

According to Deng Min, Lei’s mother, the doctors have said that there is still a chance for the little girl to survive if the family can provide stem cells for her treatment. However, neither the father nor the mother is a match for the stem cells, so the couple decided to have another child in the hope of finding compatible stem cells for Lei’s treatment. Deng Min is expected to give birth to their second child on July 7th.

However, even if they find a matching stem cell, the cost for preserving and transplanting the stem cells for Lei is 12,000 yuan (approximately 40 million VND), while the family no longer has any money to continue the treatment.

Overwhelmed with despair and heartbroken for his daughter, Liyong decided to dig his daughter’s grave himself so that she could gradually become accustomed to the cold, underground life.

The image of Liyong lying in the grave he just dug with his daughter, along with the touching story of this family, went viral on Chinese social media. The story of the Zhang family was shared widely, and many netizens in China called for support to help cover the treatment costs for little Zhang Lei.

After reading the story of Zhang Liyong and his daughter, many netizens admitted they were moved to tears by the bond between father and daughter. Many people said they felt more love for their own fathers and children after reading the story