Meeting an 11-Year-Old With Rare Courage

LUOCHI and CHONGQING, China, Aug 11, 2008 — -- When the worst happened, Zhang Jiazhi exhibited a courage far beyond his 11 years.

On an otherwise typical May afternoon at school this year, the ground violently shook beneath his classroom and the school collapsed, killing hundreds if not a thousand students. The May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, which registered at 7.9 on the Richter scale, ultimately killed over 70,000 people in China.

"The staircase collapsed and buried me … bricks started falling down. I didn't know what was happening," Jiazhi said in May.

Jiazhi's father recalls the buildings shaking and the school collapsing. But his son was one of the few lucky students. He bravely dug and crawled his way out of the school after it collapsed on him. But both of his arms were broken.

When he found his shell-shocked son at the crumbled school, the older Zhang didn't know it was him.

"I couldn't recognize him," Zhang's father told ABC News. "Only when he called my name did I realize he was my son."

His parents, unemployed farmers, kept a vigil next to the hospital bed of their only son, not sure if they were blessed or cursed. The doctors said they had no choice but to amputate both of Jiazhi's arms.

"I told the doctor, please save just one of my arms," Jiazhi said. "But the doctor said it is too late."

Making a Courageous Comeback

Today, exactly three months later, Jiazhi is making a triumphant return to life as a normal 11-year-old. ABC News traveled back to his hospital in Chongqing to visit Jiazhi and his family, over 1,200 miles southwest of Beijing.

In the hospital room was the same young boy with the same trademark bravery. But fear on Jiazhi's handsome face had vanished and the bandages that once covered his arms and head were long gone. The bright, matter-of-fact Jiazhi was back in action.

Jiazhi was eager to show off his newest toy: one of his two prosthetic arms, fitted just three weeks ago.

He explained to ABC News that he was feeling great and had big plans for his new arm. An aspiring artist, Jiazhi will use his prosthetic arm to paint like he did before the earthquake.

"I told my doctors what I want to do in the future," Jiazhi said as he mulled over what life will be like after he leaves the hospital. "I want to paint and become an artist."

"During the day, I usually practice drawing, writing, and eating with my artificial arm," Jiazhi said. "I like the arm, it's easy to use … but I still feel like I have my old hands. Sometimes they feel itchy."

In a rare trip out of the hospital, Jiazhi went to the local zoo with his family. Waving his arms about and wiping the summer sweat from his forehead with his right arm, Jiazhi was excited to see China's giant pandas for the first time.

"The pandas aren't as white as I thought they would be," Jia observed frankly as a panda chomped on bamboo.

As Jiazhi watched the pandas, his mother, Lin Yiping, said her son is on his way to a speedy recovering, considering the circumstances.

"Because of the support, there is a hope for his future," Lin said to ABC News. "I just worry about his studies. If he keeps doing well in his studies, he'll be ok. If he has knowledge, he'll be fine."

Jiazhi seems to be moving in a promising direction. He said he doesn't have nightmares or flashbacks to the earthquake.

With his prosthetic arms, he will no longer be able to catch snakes, one of his favorite past times before the earthquake. But that doesn't seem to matter to him too much. Art and school are his top priorities.

"I'm going to be a painter one day," Jiazhi explained. "I've forgotten about [the earthquake]. I think that's my personality."

"His thoughts now are that wherever he goes, he wants to go back to school," his mother said. "He's a kid who loves to study. Since he began going to school, he hasn't been late for class once, not even one minute."

Returning Home

Doctors told ABC News that Jiazhi should be released from the hospital in two weeks, just in time to celebrate his 12th birthday. But the young earthquake survivor doesn't have gifts or birthday cake on his mind.

When asked what he plans to do when he returns home, Jiazhi said, "I want to write a thank-you letter to those who have helped me."

"There have been a lot of people, like the doctors who treated my arms, my aunties and uncles who have helped me find a school to go to when I get out of the hospital."

"Since we've been here in Chongqing, ordinary people and kids have visited us every day and helped him," Jiazhi's mother told ABC News. "We want to write a letter to extend our gratitude."

As Jiazhi recovers in the hospital, his hometown is still attempting to recover as well. Rubble and debris from the earthquake still crowd the roads.

"We're relatively fortunate compared with others. Although he lost his arms, the three of us are all together," his mother said. "I am confident we can now rebuild our home."

Just like the road to Jiazhi's recovery, this too will be a long journey.

Stephanie Sy contributed reporting to this story.