Chinese blogger Xia Xia, who fought cancer for five years after being abandoned by her parents, has died

Five years of fighting the illness

The blogger Xia Xia — real name Xia Jinhe — has died in Shanghai after a five-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer. This was reported by the South China Morning Post; news of her death was covered by Gazeta.Ru citing the publication.

Parental abandonment and an independent life

She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 18, shortly before her university entrance exams. After that, her parents abandoned her: her father never once visited his daughter, and her mother cut off contact a year later. During treatment, the blogger's right leg was amputated; she bought a prosthesis herself and learned to walk on her own. Once her condition improved, she enrolled at Hefei Normal University. To pay for treatment, she wrote online fan fiction, knitted toys, and sold them first on the street and later online. During her illness, she also climbed Mount Tai — one of the five sacred mountains of China.

A farewell prepared in advance

On October 27, an obituary appeared on her account. According to media reports, Xia Xia chose her memorial portrait herself and wrote her own farewell speech: she apologized to her followers for having 'become a deserter,' thanked them for their love and support, and assured them that she would be buried in a place 'with trees, surrounded by flowers and plants, where there will be no pain or worries.'

Final days

In her final days, Xia Xia managed to speak with her 80-year-old grandmother — the only relative who had not abandoned her. Her parents also came to see her at the hospital one last time; her mother wept. The blogger's friend promised to establish a foundation in her name. Users online bid her farewell with the words: 'Our fairy has passed through all the trials and returned to heaven.' Gazeta.Ru also notes that the blogger had earlier survived a fall from the 35th floor.