He Peng styles his hair at home in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Aug. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
CHENGDU, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Born in Mianyang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, He Peng, 38, suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2005, leaving him paraplegic from the neck down. Over the years, he has managed to accomplish a series of rehabilitation training.
The first challenge for spinal cord injury patients is to recover their ability to take care of themselves, He Peng said. It took him 5 years from lying in bed to being able to raise his hands and sit up to move. Since then, he started to try out the possibilities by getting a driver's license, traveling, and practicing extreme sports.
In 2019, He Peng founded a rehabilitation training camp to help more people with spinal cord injuries receive training and encourage them to go out.
In 2021, He and 5 fellow "wheel-mates" drove to Lhasa along the Sichuan-Tibet highway and enjoyed the magnificent scenery of the snowy plateau. In July this year, He Peng went on the trip again. The nearly one-month journey made them accomplish something they could not imagine before.
"Even sitting in a wheelchair, we can feel the beauty of the world. There is no unimaginable, as long as you are willing to try," He Peng said.
He Peng has a meeting with his fellow "wheel-mates" ahead of their trip to Tibet Autonomous Region, in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng (L) helps a fellow "wheel-mate" do strength training at his rehabilitation training camp in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Aug. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng checks his wheelchair ahead of his trip to Tibet Autonomous Region, in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng moves from his car to the wheelchair at his rehabilitation training camp in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Aug. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng drives to his rehabilitation training camp in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Aug. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng (R) does research on the travel route with his friend ahead of their trip to Tibet Autonomous Region, in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng demonstrates how to move from a wheelchair to the bed at a rehabilitation hospital in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
He Peng (L) does training with a fellow "wheel-mate" at a rehabilitation hospital in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 14, 2022.(Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)
Combo photo shows He Peng (2nd R) and his fellow "wheel-mates" posing for a group photo ahead of their trip to Tibet Autonomous Region, at his rehabilitation training campon in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 16, 2002 (Top), and He Peng (5th L) and his fellow "wheel-mates" posing for a group photo in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa of Tibet on July 30, 2002 (Bottom).(Xinhua)■