Sitting on the wheel chair, with only two fingers movable, Zhou Peishan may be the most special one among those who were admitted to University of Hong Kong.

Suffering from hereditary spinal muscular atrophy, Zhou, 21, can only type five or six words per minute. She obtained a high score of 21 points in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, and was admitted to the University of Hong Kong.

When she was 3 months old, Zhou was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, and the doctors said that she could only survive for two or three years.

Physical defects couldn't prevent Zhou's wish to study. In the hospital bed, she enrolled in the school curriculum offered by the Red Cross Hospital. A teacher gave her lessons besides the bed 3 hours a day.

After 15 years in hospital, Zhou decided to go to school like an ordinary student. To realize the dream, Zhou paid unimaginable price. To be able to sit longer in the wheelchair, she needs a surgery to straighten the long curved spine. In order to facilitate feeding out of the hospital, Zhou had abdominal stoma opened to receive the daily nutrition.

At age of 16, Zhou finally was accepted by a special school. For five years, Zhou studied till 10 p.m. every day. "Comparing with others, I spent much more time," she said.

On the exam day, some special arrangements were made for Zhou. She could give the answers orally, and somebody helped to write down what she said. From 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., she only had a break for 10 minutes.

When Zhou knew she was admitted to the University of Hong Kong, she said: "My dream for years finally comes true. All I've paid is worth it."