Albinism Home: A Father of Albinism Child

Albinism Children’s Home is a public service platform designed to help and support albinos and their families living in China. The organization's main goal is to improve living standards and promote equal participation in society for albinos. Abinism Children's Home is in Xi’an, Shanxi province.
 
I have been thinking of writing a story about father, but I am afraid I am not able to describe the unusual life of an ordinary father. After participating the activity themed on thank father, I would like to share a story of my father.

My father was born in 1950 in a poor peasant family. My father is the second child of 7 siblings. My father did not have the opportunity to be educated. He had to help to do field work when he was quite young. The family was poor, so it’s difficult for my father and 3 of his brothers to get married. My father married my mother, one of the family’s relatives, after being made match by his parents. My parents love each other, but relative marriage buried a hidden trouble. My older sister and I have disabilities. I am an albinism and my sister suffers from skin diseases. My father took us to many hospitals for treatment, but we had never been treated thoroughly. My father kept working hard to found treatment for us, but the results were always disappointing. There hasn’t had treatment for albinism so far in the world. The hospitals could not give any confirmed result for my sister problem. She lost her hearing when she was 13 and her intelligence had stopped in her 13. When she was married and gave birth to a baby, she could not walk due to the increasing weights. All the troubles come from relative marriage. 

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When I was a child, I have complicated emotions to my father. They were respect, fear, complain, love and dependence. 

I respect my father, because he loves reading though he had not accepted much education. He kept a lot of books. I heard from my father’s friend he did excellent at school, especially his handwriting. When there were wedding parties or new house constructions in the village, my father was asked to write couplets. When I was in primary school, I liked to stay beside the table when my father was writing couplets. My father is a hero in my heart. He is a model for us and sowed a seed for learning in my heart. 

I feared my father, because he is very strict to us. I still remember when we were in primary school. My father would tear my younger brother’s exercise book into pieces and asked him to write again when he was not serious to his school assignments. My brother would cry and said I wrote bad handwriting, why he had not torn my exercise book. I would always take my books away from my father and fear he would tear my book, too. My father kept silent when looking at me. I thought he treated my brother more severe, because he loved my brother more. He did not expected too much to my sister and I, because we are disabled. He expected too much for a healthy son.

I complained my father due to the helpless of my disability. My parents took good care of my though I am an albinism. I had a happy childhood. When I was in primary school, I boarded at school. When I was growing up, I found I am different. My schoolmates pointed in the back. My poor eye sight brought many difficulties to my study. I could not even see the blackboard clearly even sitting on the first row, so I had to stand just in front of the blackboard when teacher wrote the assignments. I spent my whole primary school by standing in front of the blackboard. When I was in junior high school, I had to learn more subjects and I was reluctant to stand in front of the blackboard. I just learned by listening. My grades declined quickly. I felt especially helpless for Chemistry and Physics. My father did not blame me, but I blamed my father for relative marriage and why giving birth to me.  

In a kind of state, I graduated from university and found work. Then I was married and gave birth to a baby. I increasingly understood: life is just like a dandelion which seemed free, but there’s much it could not control. When I review the days I spent, I understood my father’s love for us. The grievance for my father in childhood disappeared. I began to understand and be grateful to my father.  

In the early of 1980s, it seldom for the villagers to dye hair. When I was 2, my father bought hair dyes and began dye hair for me according to the instruction. To dye my hair became a project of the family when I was a child. My mum and dad were always around for help. For over 30 years, I have been feeling warm whenever I thought of the scene. A plain action of a father interpreted the greatest love of a father. 

When I went to senior high, I had to board at school. It was my father who kept accompany me to the school. There was upper bunk left in the dorm. Considering my eye sight, my father asked one for my roommates with lower bunk to switch with me. When I went to the university, my father also kept accompany me to the university. She talked with my roommates and helped me to organize the bed. At that time, I had grown up and could take care of myself, but he still cared me without less. One of my roommates suggested he would go back and assured him they would help me. For a long time, my roommates had been admiring I have a kind dad. 

When I graduated from the university, I became a teacher and married my university schoolmate. We gave birth to a healthy baby. Life went back to normal. My father finally got relax to me, but he still concerned a lot to my sister whose baby died before it was born. My sister’s health became degenerate. She could not even sit up. My parents picked her home and began to take care of her. My father is 65 this year. Thinking he is getting older, my brother and I would like to share the burden with him, but we are not able to share his concern anyway. 

Thank my father for doing all the things for me. Whenever I saw some orphans who had been abandoned by their parents due to disabilities, I felt I am lucky to have such a kind father. Thanks to my father’s, who accompanied me for every big moment, I am able to overcome all difficulties. 

I value everything my father did for me. It should be the time for my father to enjoy life, but I did not know when the time comes. He concerned a lot to my sister. When I faced difficulties, he always told me to try hard, but accept the unsettled as they are. I retorted and said we should try our best to change things instead accept them as they are. Now I began to understand not everything can be changed. No matter what kind of life will be for my sister, I want my father to leave the burden and smile for each day. My father actually have been doing like this and it is him who taught me to be optimistic to life. Today is my father’s 65-year birthday, I would like to say to my father:                                          
Thanks to your love, an albinism teacher with poor eyesight has a bright mentality. 

Thanks to your love, my sister experienced the great love in her mute and unable-to-walk life. 

Original Article Written by Cuiyan Hu, translated by Maggie Li, edited by Yanyan Zhang