After suffering paralysis from the waist down following a dancing accident in 2020, an 8-year-old girl in China is now running again for the first time.

Anqi, from Xiangtan in Hunan province of central China, went viral on Weibo following a video of her grueling recovery and rehabilitation process uploaded on July 7. The video has garnered more than 11 million views.

Anqi’s dancing accident two years ago left her with a spinal cord injury, paralyzing her from the waist down.

After the accident, Anqi began participating in rehabilitation therapy, which her mother, surnamed Yuan, described as being a painful and tiring experience for her daughter. Anqi, however, never gave up.

“After witnessing all the suffering, I told her, ‘Mom is heartbroken seeing you like this, maybe we should just give up,’” Yuan told Yangzi Evening News. “But she reassured me by telling me that: ‘I just don’t have strength on my feet right now, but I will definitely be able to stand up again,’ refusing to give up.”

Anqi went through at least six hours of rehabilitation therapy per day, and the video shows the 8-year-old crying in frustration as she attempts to regain simple motor skills through each session. 

“Even though she would cry to release her frustration after rehab, she never said she was going to give up,” Yuan said.

After just one month of rehabilitation training at home, Anqi miraculously was able to stand. 

By the end of the video, viewers can see the tremendous progress that Anqi made as she sprints alongside her father.

Weibo users expressed their admiration for the young girl and praised her family for supporting her through the difficult rehabilitation process.

“Because of persistence, because of not giving up, the little girl stood up again, it’s really great! Come on little girl, your future will definitely get better and better!

“Great little girl, great mom and dad too,” another user commented.

Feature Image via Weibo