Tang Ze

Little Ze was only one year of age when the course of his life changed suddenly and forever. Ze was napping in his crib when his mother, gripped in a passionate rage, set fire to his family's home. His parents and sibling evacuated the household – abandoning one-year-old Ze to his fate inside the flaming hut. Then, in an act of selfless devotion, Ze's sister Min fought free from her father's grasp, and ran into the burning building to rescue her brother. Both children survived, but sustained catastrophic injuries.

Like his sister, Ze received a bilateral amputation – one below knee and one above knee. Ze's left hand was also amputated, which means his right arm is the only limb left intact from that fateful day. Now four years of age, Ze's future seemed bleak: without limbs or a family with the means to afford prosthetics, what hope did this child have of attending school and regaining the functionality that was lost?

HandReach opened doors for Min and her brother at Galveston Shriners, where the children were treated by some of the top burn specialists in the world, receiving comprehensive surgery, nursing, orthopedics, rehabilitation, and psychosocial care. Now both children are walking and facing a much brighter future as they begin the journey of full mobility on custom prosthetics.