Has now written six chapters of novel, due to patience and determination

Taught herself to read and write using TV subtitles, her parents say

Can only move her head and her left foot, which she uses to type

A Chinese woman so disabled with cerebral palsy that she can only properly control her left foot has stunned the world by writing 60,000 words of a fiction novel using just her toes.

Hu Huiyuan grew up in a rural community in Anhui province, eastern China, where even able-bodied children struggle to get a formal education.

But the now 21-year-old was so determined to learn that she taught herself to read and write using television subtitles.

While she is typing, Hu needs to be fastened to her wheelchair with a belt to stabilise her.

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Hu Huiyuan is disabled with cerebral palsy and can only properly control her left foot. Through sheer determination, she has written 60,000 words of a fiction novel using only her toes

Hu suffers from cerebral palsy - a neurological condition that affect movement and co-ordination

The 21-year-old was so determined to learn that she taught herself to read and write using television subtitles, her parents say

Hu can now comfortably manage 20 to 30 words a minute, and has finished the sixth chapter of her eight chapter book.

And her entire life story has been about defying the odds, say her parents Peng, 49, and wife Sun, 47.

'When she was born the doctors said she wouldn't survive more than a few days, but she did,' said her father, Peng.

'They didn't know what was wrong with her at first, but 10 months later they told us it was cerebral palsy.

He added: 'The only parts of her body she could move were her head and her foot, but she was incredibly determined.

'She eventually learned to do all sorts of everyday tasks using just her foot.'

Interviewed by local TV, Hu said: 'I teach myself.

'I'm so fascinated by the opportunities that being able to read presents.

'Being able to write allows me to communicate with so many more people.

'I'm not a genius but I'm very focused. When you have a disability like this, you have to learn patience.'

The remarkable 21-year-old said: 'I'm so fascinated by the opportunities that being able to read presents. Being able to write allows me to communicate with so many more people'

Now experienced at typing with her toes, Hu can comfortably manage 20 to 30 words a minute, and has finished the sixth chapter of the eight chapter book

Hu added: 'I'm not a genius but I'm very focused. When you have a disability, you have to learn patience'

WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY? Cerebral palsy is the general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. Specifically, cerebral palsy is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain responsible for controlling muscles, according to the NHS website. The condition can occur if the brain develops abnormally or is damaged before, during or shortly after birth. The main symptoms of cerebral palsy normally become apparent during the first three years of a child's life. They are: Muscle stiffness or floppiness, muscle weakness, random and uncontrolled body movements, balance and co-ordination problems. Some people with the condition may have communication and learning difficulties, although intelligence is often unaffected. Advertisement

Although she had been unable to secure a place in a school, or indeed a computer, she got round the problem by getting hold of a TV and learning from the subtitles.

Her mother, Sun, said her daughter's determination had been evident from an early age.

While learning to speak, which was much slower and more painstaking than it would have been for a child who was not disabled, but she said her daughter would sometimes repeat a word 1,000 times until she could say it.

She added: 'Typing with just your foot doesn't come easy for anyone, either.'

Hu is not the only example of a disabled Chinese person who, despite the lack of facilities for disabled people in the country, often overcomes huge obstacles to achieve remarkable things.

Last September, Wang Qiang, a 29-year-old man diagnosed with cerebral palsy, fulfilled his dream of joining a professional boxing competition when he signed up in the eastern city of Shanghai.