Song Hongjun helps his mother walk down the steps.

Song Hongjun, a 42-year-old farmer suffering from severe hypertension and lumbar muscle strain, has been taking care of his four disabled family members in these 29 years. Song lives in the Xixia county, central China's Henan province.

This family has experienced many misfortunes. Song Yucen, elder brother of Song Hongjun's father was bitten by a poisonous snake in 1983 and could not do heavy labor from then on. One year later, Song Yucen's wife Zhou Fengge had a stroke and became paralyzed, bed-ridden and blind. Song Hongjun's mother is a deaf-mute who cannot take care of herself. Song's father fell off a cliff when he gathered herbs in a deep mountain in 1986. At that time, Song Hongjun was a 14-year-old student and his younger brother was only nine years old.

Song Hongjun, a good student, left his school in tears and has been supporting his family ever since. In 2006, Song's brother became paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a sudden disease.

Years’ hard work made him suffer from hypertension and lumbar muscle strain. His neighbors advised him to have a proper treatment in a county-level hospital. However, Song refused to spend money on receiving treatment at the hospital. By contrast, he is always generous when paying medicine fees for his family members.

After Song's story was posted online, some netizens in Xixia county raised money for Song and some netizens in other places paid a visit to Song or remitted money to help him.

"Without the aid from the government and the citizens, I do not know how to face a life of hardship and difficulties," said Song. He was named one of the 10 people who touched Nanyang.