One Injection Costs 15.8 Million Won... Grandfather in His 70s Puts on Makeup for His Grandson

Grandson with Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Grandfather Starts Beauty Live Streaming for His Grandson

A grandfather in his 70s in China has moved many people by becoming a beauty influencer to raise money for his grandson's treatment for a rare disease.

"If My Daughter Falls Apart, Our Whole Family Will Fall Apart"

Mr. Joo Wonjang started live streaming using his daughter's cosmetics to raise funds for his grandson's medical expenses. Douyin·SCMP

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on June 27 (local time), Joo Wanchang, 75, who lives in Jiangsu Province in eastern China, looks after his nine-year-old grandson, Chao Jingyan, during the day and does live streaming at night. He usually continues broadcasting until midnight, and, like other beauty influencers, he puts makeup on his face or tests lipstick colors on his forearm to compare shades.

The reason Mr. Joo began live streaming was to raise funds for his grandson's medical expenses. Nine years ago, when Chao Jingyan was just six months old, he was diagnosed with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA is a rare genetic disorder in which the motor neurons in the spinal cord are gradually damaged, causing muscles to weaken and eventually making it difficult to breathe without assistance.

Globally, it is known to occur in 1–2 out of every 10,000 newborns, and there are currently about 30,000 SMA patients in China. Type 1 SMA, in particular, requires treatment, because without it, most patients either pass away before the age of two or have to depend on a ventilator for life.

At the time, the attending physician also said it would be difficult for Chao Jingyan to live beyond 18 months. Shocked by the diagnosis, Mr. Joo's daughter fell into deep grief, staring blankly at her son all day. Watching this, Mr. Joo decided to care for his grandson himself. He said, "If something were to happen to my only daughter, our entire family would fall apart."

"No Matter What Choice My Grandson Makes, I Will Always Support Him"

Photos are unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Pixabay

However, continuing the treatment required an enormous amount of money. In 2019, the SMA treatment 'Nusinersen' was approved in China. While this medication is known to improve patient survival rates and quality of life, a single injection at that time cost 700,000 yuan (about 15.8 million won), which was a heavy burden. Moreover, Chao Jingyan needed to receive this injection twice a year. As a result, Mr. Joo began doing beauty live streams using his daughter's cosmetics to raise funds for the treatment.

Fortunately, since 2021, the medication has been covered by China's national health insurance, and the cost per injection has dropped significantly to 33,000 yuan (about 745,000 won). Now, at nine years old, Chao Jingyan is able to go to school and study and play with friends on days when he feels well.

Mr. Joo's greatest wish is for his grandson to be able to stand up on his own someday. Currently, living in Qingdao, Shandong Province for better treatment, Chao Jingyan said that his dream is to one day attend a university there. To this, Mr. Joo encouraged his grandson, saying, "No matter what choice you make, I will always support you."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.