Girl, 7, cares for sick dad alone in China hospital, impresses public, attracts donations

A seven-year-old girl in China has tugged at the heartstrings of the public after news of her taking care of her hospitalised father alone won praise and even resulted in donations from the public.

She first caught the attention of a man who was visiting his own father in a hospital in Heilongjiang province.

He was surprised to learn that the patient in the bed next to his father was being cared for by a little girl, all on her own.

"Looking for doctors, making appointments, giving money, buying medicine — she's doing all these things herself," the man, surnamed Pei, told Chinese media.

The girl, San Mengru, would also buy meals for her father, according to South China Morning Post.

Only family member around

According to Pei, San's father is in his 40s, and was admitted to the hospital for a heart disease.

The girl's father is a divorcee, and her elderly grandmother was unable to make the trip to the hospital every day.

Other relatives in the family have left the city to work, leaving only the young girl to be her father's caregiver.

Fortunately, her father's illness was not serious, and he just needed to receive an intravenous (IV) drip every few days, Pei told Chinese media.

He was nonetheless was concerned about the girl's situation.

In a video Pei filmed and shared online on Jan. 17, he asked if she was able to manage and understand everything.

She nodded and said "yes".

Pei offered to transfer her some money over WeChat, but San shook her head and told him it was not unnecessary.

"Let's just add each other on WeChat," she said.

Support and donations

Pei's father soon had to be transferred to another hospital, but before he left, he decided to send San some money anyway, and had his son bring her some food.

After his video went viral online, many users responded with sympathy, praising San for being sensible and thoughtful.

Many also donated money and daily essentials to her.

According to SCMP, the hospital San’s father was staying in reduced his medical bills due to the family's poor financial situation.

Father discharged

The man' condition later improved, and he has since been discharged, SCMP reported.

He explained that he was able to take care of himself but occasionally needed someone to run errands.

“I let my daughter stay with me at the hospital since she is on winter holiday and there is no one to look after her at home,” he said.

Top images from 一个小八哥/Douyin and Canva