A grandfather is becoming a viral sensation in China after he uses his free time to review makeup and other beauty products as a form of income to help his sick grandson.
RELATED STORIES: Boosie Reveals He Is Cancer Free After Annual Check-Up: “Stayed Up All Night Praying For These Results”
72-year-old Zhu Yunchang started recording videos reviewing various beauty products after learning that his grandson, Xiao Jingyan, has a rare genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy. The boy was diagnosed six years ago when he was five, and doctors predicted that he only had 18 months to live, as reported by Oddity Central. With the support of his family, Xiao lived beyond the doctor’s expectations, but his medicine cost them 700,000 yuan($100,000) since it was imported from the United States.
The family even sold their home and borrowed loans to make ends meet, but Zhu decided to look for different ways to make money. He researched beauty blogging and influencing as a way to make money. At first, he decided to reach out to a makeup company to review samples, but they declined his offer because he was a man in his late 70s. However, he didn’t stop them. Zhu visited a local cosmetics shop and asked the staff to teach him how to apply makeup.
RELATED STORIES: Makeup Brand Morphe Announces It Will Be Closing All US Stores Amid Laying Off Employees And Empty Shelves
Zhu also looked into live streaming and started reviewing products, but his family was accused of taking advantage of him to care for their son, which led to his following being halted. Despite those obstacles, he continued to live stream his reviews. Since then, his grandson’s medications have been added to China’s medical insurance list, easing the family’s financial issues.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic disorder that affects the motor neurons responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements. The condition is caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene located on chromosome 5. This gene produces a protein called SMN, which is essential for the survival and function of motor neurons.
Four types of SMA are classified based on the age of onset and severity of symptoms. Type 1 SMA, also known as Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, is the most severe form and usually presents in infants before six months. Type 2 SMA presents in children between 6 and 18 months of age, while Type 3 SMA (also known as Kugelberg-Welander disease) usually presents in early childhood. Type 4 SMA is the rarest form and typically presents in adulthood.
There is currently no cure for SMA, but several treatments are available to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The drug nusinersen (Spinraza) was approved by the FDA in 2016 for treating SMA and has shown promising results in clinical trials. Nusinersen is administered through a spinal injection and works by increasing the production of the SMN protein.