College student's death sparks discussions

Authorities have set the record straight after a Chinese college student's death sparked heated discussions online.

On Monday, Wu Huayan died of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a progressive genetic disorder where symptoms of aging are shown at a young age. She was previously a student at Guizhou Forerunner College in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

After Wu's death, rumors swirled around that she "died of starvation," and that her death was a result of saving money to support her brother.

Some media outlets claimed that Wu spent only two yuan (29 US cents) a day on her meals, that she ate white rice mixed with chili peppers for five years, and that she depended on 300 yuan of government funds to get by.

In one sensational headline, a story claimed that Wu had been saving money for her brother, and that long-term malnutrition led to her demise.

But all these rumors are untrue, said Zhang Huiwei, an official with Wu's college.

"When Wu came to our college, she was 137 cm tall and she weighed only 25 kg," Zhang said. "She was handicapped."

"She was the smallest of all 19 disabled students admitted into the college in 2017," said Wang Shan, who works in the college's logistics and security office. "She grabbed our attention."

The college gave Wu an annual scholarship of 4,000 yuan, and Wang gave her an additional 400 yuan of personal financial support, which Wu turned down initially.

"She said she did not want to cause any trouble to me, and that she wanted to live more independently as a strong young woman," Wang recalled.

Wang also helped Wu find an internship in a Guizhou company.

Government figures showed that Wu's family received a variety of government funds.

Between 2017 and 2019, Wu received 15,000 yuan of government funds, 15,500 yuan in scholarship money and 17,000 yuan of personal support from college teachers, according to the college's statistics.

In October last year, Wu's friend visited her at the internship company and found her "a little swollen." Wu was admitted into a local hospital and diagnosed with problematic cardiac valves, cardiac edema and renal edema.

During her stay in the hospital, the college and the local government continued to help with her treatment. But because Wu was too weak, it was impossible for doctors to move forward with the standard operation procedure, according to the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University.

As rumors flooded the internet, Wu took the time to refute online suspicion herself. In a video recorded in the hospital, Wu said that the online discussion had caused her huge pressure and driven her into insomnia.

"The suspicion of the government, the college and the hospital has put me under great pressure," she said. "They have been helping me all the while, I don't know why people turned them into villains."

Wu donated her body to Guizhou Medical University, according to her will.

"We are devastated to have lost Wu," said the college's vice president Yang Shaoxian. "We have always and will always help students with disabilities no matter what."