1990s-born Sun Chenlu shares her life on social media platforms. Photo: web

In the 15-meter-deep waters of the Red Sea, 1990s-born Sun Chenlu completed a dive with her instructor. For someone with a cervical spine injury, classified as first-degree disability, and completely dependent on others for daily care, it was another defiant step, one of many since a car crash left her paralyzed nine years ago.

Sun graduated with a bachelor's degree from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. In 2017, a car accident left her with a burst fracture in her cervical spine and a C5 spinal cord injury. After three ICU rescues and five surgeries, four holes were drilled into her skull to secure an external brace. For six months, she couldn't even sit up. After her physical wounds healed, she faced the reality of complete dependency, relying on her parents for round-the-clock care in every aspect of life, from eating and drinking to turning over and bathing.

In moments of despair, Sun once considered giving up, but her parents told her, "We cannot live without you either." Sun chose to fight back against her fate. In 2019, she posted her first short video of rehabilitation training and began sharing her daily recovery journey, as well as makeup and fashion content. Due to muscle atrophy in her fingers, she couldn't grip objects, so she wedged makeup brushes between her fingers and used her wrist to apply makeup, often poking her eyes in the process. While managing her social media account, she painstakingly tapped the screen with her knuckles, independently handling captions, filming, and editing.

In 2019, at a spinal cord injury life reconstruction training camp, Sun - the most severely disabled TT1 athlete, she used elastic bands to fasten the table tennis paddle to her wrist, relying on the strength of her upper arm to swing and train. Her grind paid off: In 2021, she won gold medals in the TT1 women's team and doubles events at the 11th National Paralympic Games, and in 2024, she clinched the singles title at the 10th Chengdu Paralympic Games. She is still training for the upcoming National Paralympic Games.

In 2024, she reached Mount Qomolangma in her wheelchair and explored the Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon. In 2025, she took on the challenge of diving in the Red Sea. Prior to this, she had also completed a paragliding challenge in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province. Over the past nine years, she has proven one thing: The breadth of life is never defined by physical limitations.