Each time the bone marrow biopsy was finished, Shi was supposed to lie on bed for several hours before standing up. However, the boy got up soon after the therapy before the pain eased, and went back home overnight because he did not want to miss a single class.

When he arrived at Liupanshui, he waited for the dawn break at the railway station before taking a homebound bus.

"I can't remember how many times I waited for the dawn at the railway station," Shi burst into tears when talking about the lonely trips he took to receive treatment.

Keep studying

Shi had to quit school for two years due to the leukemia. But he never quit learning. During the two years he was out of school, he borrowed books to go over the lessons he had learned before he was ill and the new courses of fifth grade on his own. After his condition got under control, the boy asked his grandparents to send him back to school.

"He looked very down and lonely, but he scored surprisingly good grades," said Peng Lu, the Chinese language teacher of Shi. Peng said the boy's grades have remained at the top of the class since he returned to school. Each time he came back from the hospital, the boy would hand in his homework on time, she said.

Peng said he was taken by surprise when she first came to know that the boy was suffering from leukemia. To make Shi feel less lonely, four classmates were arranged to study with him and take care of him.

According to the doctor in charge of Shi, the boy's treatment has entered the later stage, and he can recover without having a bone marrow transplant. The treatment is expected to take another two years.