China’s first 'wheelchair anchor'—Liang Yi

Liang Yi was born in Loudi City of Hunan Province. She graduated from the Communication University of China (CUC) in 2001 and became a popular anchor with Hunan TV. While making up in her dressing room on September 22, 2001 she felt a sharp pain in her back and lost consciousness. The doctor diagnosed a serious and unusual condition of the blood vessels in her spine leading to pressure on her central nervous system. Liang Yi's life was in danger; she was paralysed from the neck down. The 22-year-old girl was told that she would have to spend her whole life as a paraplegic.

It was a period of darkness and confusion. As she looked around and saw all her college classmates building careers for themselves in the media, it was hard not to feel self-pity as she struggled to build her new life in a wheelchair.

After this time of depression, Liang Yi decided not to give up, even though she could no longer even stand up. She was faced with unbelievable difficulties in daily life, needing help to get dressed, have a meal, take a bath, and even go to the toilet. After 8 years of study and treatment from 2004 to 2012 in Beijing, Liang Yi began to recover her strength. She had the good fortune to get back into the studio, and became the anchor of a television programme called 'Help you', which was launched on Hunan TV on Oct. 28, 2012. She also succeeded in graduating as a Master of Arts from CUC in 2011.

"I often receive letters from young people who have problems with their unhappy lives, with work, with their studies, and with their personal relationships. I want to say to them – look, when there are people who dream of nothing more than standing up, having a meal, or going to the toilet by themselves, why don’t you, as a person with a healthy body, treasure your life?"