Sunwin 'Sunflower' Cerebral Palsy Child Relief Initiative Launches with Comprehensive Medical and Financial Support

One in every 500 newborns is a child with cerebral palsy. It is reported that there are currently over 7 million children with cerebral palsy in China. For a long time, this special group of children has been marginalized due to various reasons, and 80% of their families have fallen back into poverty because of the disease. Among them, 95% have never received rehabilitation and have missed out on educational opportunities. More than 60% of these children are diagnosed after the age of three, thereby missing the critical window for optimal treatment.

Cerebral palsy in children refers to a syndrome characterized primarily by postural and motor dysfunction, caused by non-progressive brain injury during the immature stage of brain development within the first month after birth. It is a common central nervous system disorder syndrome in childhood, with lesions located in the brain and affecting the limbs. It is often accompanied by symptoms such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, behavioral abnormalities, mental disorders, and visual, auditory, and language impairments.

At the Fourth Session of the 12th National People's Congress, Proposal No. 4471 recommended "Including Certain Medical Rehabilitation Services in the Scope of Basic Medical Insurance." For orphaned and disabled children from impoverished families, medical rehabilitation expenses could receive additional compensation through medical assistance after reimbursement under the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS). Meanwhile, we encourage local authorities to formulate corresponding policies based on actual conditions, ensuring the balance of medical insurance fund revenues and expenditures, so as to include necessary rehabilitation services for disabled children in the NRCMS coverage. Proposal No. 7566 suggested establishing a public welfare insurance program in China for "Children with Cerebral Palsy" to significantly improve the dire situation of aid for neonatal cerebral palsy. This issue also attracted the attention of Shangying Health’s healthcare sector. After in-depth investigation, it was found that this disease has become a heavy burden for families, leading to a situation where "one person’s paralysis paralyzes the entire family."

This disease not only plunges families back into poverty but also exhausts them physically and mentally, sometimes even leading to the loss of life. A few years ago, a case in Dongguan shocked the nation: a biological mother drowned her two sons with cerebral palsy. For 13 years, she had never given up on treating her children, spending over 5,000 yuan each month solely on their rehabilitation therapy. In her effort to save her children, she exhausted her family’s savings. However, concern for her children’s future became the final straw that broke her. Unable to bear the thought of her children suffering, she attempted to drown them while they were asleep and then tried to commit suicide by ingesting poison, but failed. In the aftermath, hundreds of villagers, colleagues, relatives, and friends chose to forgive her and pleaded with the judge to show compassion. Nevertheless, she was ultimately convicted of intentional homicide and sentenced to five years in prison.

However, what many people do not realize is that children with cerebral palsy can achieve outcomes indistinguishable from those of typically developing children through treatment and rehabilitation.

Ding Ding is one of many ordinary children with cerebral palsy. In 2007, he was admitted to Peking University with a high score of 660. In August 2017, Ding Ding graduated with honors from Harvard Law School in the United States with a Master’s degree and completed the U.S. Bar Examination.

Drawing on her experience, the mother emphasized to others that treatment for children with cerebral palsy should begin as early as possible. When her child was just three months old, she started constantly talking to him and asking questions, while also focusing on training his gross and fine motor skills. From the age of three, following medical advice, she took him for rehabilitation therapy every other day without interruption. She remained steadfast in this routine, even persisting in taking him to sessions while suffering from a high fever of 40°C. It is precisely due to her perseverance and refusal to give up that Dingding has made gradual progress. Without his mother’s commitment to consistent treatment, Dingding might have been unable to leave home, like most children with cerebral palsy. Rehabilitation therapy for children with cerebral palsy is an extremely painful and tedious process, yet Dingding and his mother persevered through it all.

Mr. Wang was diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy resulting from his mother’s dystocia at birth. He exhibits dysarthria, poor limb coordination, and an inability to stand upright or hold objects with both hands. His right leg and right hand have largely lost function. He relies on a walker for ambulation and must cross his legs to control tremors when seated. Writing, mouse operation, and keyboard typing can only be performed with his left hand.

Through active and continuous treatment, in 1998, 22-year-old Mr. Wang passed the National Senior Programmer Qualification Examination with high scores, becoming China’s youngest engineer. During this period, he also participated in the “First Chinese University Student Computer Competition,” jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and other entities, reaching the finals and receiving a private audience with the Vice Premier of the State Council. In 2008, Mr. Wang was admitted to the College of Computer Science and Technology at Jilin University to pursue his doctoral degree. Never abandoning his dreams, in October 2011, he attended the International Biometric Conference held in Washington, D.C., as the sole invitee from China, and joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2012. Today, an increasing number of people refer to him as the “Chinese Stephen Hawking.”

Although life is often filled with bitterness and hardship, he has always moved forward with optimism. He frequently says, “The reason God placed human eyes at the front is to tell you: Look ahead; the path of life always lies before you.” I have deeply engraved these words in my heart and never forgotten them.

Shangying Grand Health takes social responsibility as its mission, upgrading the Grand Health sector to Strategy 2.0 and building a new online-offline integrated medical ecosystem under the “Internet Plus” model.

It is reported that Shangying Big Health, which provides comprehensive health and medical management services tailored to the different stages of changes in women’s social roles throughout their lives, will launch its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) public welfare initiative—the “Sunflower” Health and Medical Assistance Program for Families of Impoverished Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Shangying’s “Sunflower” Charity Initiative will uphold the original mission of Shangying’s healthcare sector, focusing on the health of women, mothers, infants, and their family members, and gradually launch charitable assistance programs for various groups affected by special diseases.

This time, Shangying’s “Sunflower” initiative focuses on pediatric cerebral palsy, a severe condition that has caused significant health and livelihood hardships for countless families in China. In collaboration with the Group and its ecosystem partners, the initiative provides free donations and assistance to 100,000 affected families, aiming to alleviate their psychological and financial burdens, facilitate access to more professional and standardized medical advice, and reduce the difficulties associated with medical consultations, specialist referrals, hospital transfers, and surgeries. Additionally, lifetime disease health management membership benefits are donated to these families, and each family meeting the diagnostic criteria and poverty certification receives a RMB 10,000 subsidy.

Shangying will launch the establishment of a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Center for "Pediatric Cerebral Palsy" as part of this public welfare initiative. By collaborating with renowned experts from public Grade A tertiary hospitals in Shanghai and Beijing, the center will provide medical advice on surgery, rehabilitation, and other aspects for affected children. To support this center, Shangying Big Health will leverage its AIoT and POCT segments to collaboratively establish seven major systems: precise assessment, pharmacotherapy, surgical treatment, rehabilitative therapy, physical therapy, dietary planning, and psychological counseling. This initiative aims to empower more primary healthcare institutions and cover a broader range of medical consortia, thereby enhancing the standards of diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for pediatric cerebral palsy across various regions.

Never Give Up on Love, Ignite the Flame of Hope: Warm Every Family of Children with Cerebral Palsy and Strengthen Their Belief in Perseverance.

The standards for the Shangying “Sunflower” Public Welfare Assistance Program are as follows:

Children with Cerebral Palsy Aged 0–14 Years

Meets the national standards for impoverished households

The documentation required for the Shangying “Sunflower” Public Welfare Assistance Program is as follows:

Requires a diagnostic certificate from a tertiary hospital

A poverty certificate issued by the civil affairs department at or above the county level is required.

Shangying “Sunflower” Public Welfare Assistance Program Details

10,000 Yuan Cerebral Palsy Children Relief Fund

Free Lifetime Family Health Care Consultation

Annual psychological counseling session (5 years)

Annual Rehabilitation Assessment (5 Years)

MDT Medical Center Surgical Guidance Consultation (1 Session)