Man With Cerebral Palsy Uses Mouth to Fold Origami

Man With Cerebral Palsy Uses Mouth to Fold Origami
Origami Cranes. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)
Daniel Holl
5/15/2019
Updated:
9/6/2019

A man affected by cerebral palsy has found a unique way to earn money for the one person who has cared for him the most: His mother.

Though much of his body does not function as he wishes, he can use his mouth and tongue to fold tiny origami figures and sell online, all to do what he can to pay back his mother’s care-taking, according to the Shandong Culture Channel.

Gao Guangli, a 29-year-old resident of Shandong Province, China, was born with cerebral palsy, a permanent condition that causes movement disorders.

Despite the rest of his body not being able to move, Gao can use his mouth and tongue to create origami cranes.

Gao uses his skills to fold art which he can sell online, and uses his income to help his mother buy clothes. “In this lifetime, I‘ll never be able to repay my mom,” Gao said to the Shandong Culture Channel. “So I’ll do the best I can, that’s all.”

“A mother’s love, really, can’t be expressed through words,” Gao said.

His mother, named Wang Guizhen, helps with his daily routines. She helps her son get in and out of bed every day, which can be challenging.

“It’s hard to pick him up, I have to use all my effort to lift him,” Wang told the Shandong Culture Channel. “Sometimes he'll get stuck in his chair. You have to help him because his entire body can’t move, except his mouth.”

Gao’s enterprising efforts have financial impact too. His mother said that all of the clothes she owns were purchased with her  son’s earnings.

“When I want to buy clothes, all the money comes from him. He bought everything I wear,” Wang told the Shandong Culture Channel. “He can’t move, but he can still buy clothes for me. I never thought this was possible.”

Wang says she intends to take care of her son for as long as she can. “If I can’t move, then nothing can be done, but I don’t think about that.”

Daniel Holl is a Sacramento, California-based reporter, specializing in China-related topics. He moved to China alone and stayed there for almost seven years, learning the language and culture. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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