Elderly woman in China gives 30 abandoned babies a chance to live after being left in the trash

October 19, 2012

An elderly woman in China has saved 30 abandoned babies since 1972. Making her living collecting rubbish and recycling her findings, 88 year-old Lou Xiaoying also managed to come across many babies left for dead.

She kept 4 of the children she found and passed the rest on to family members and friends. She gave these children an opportunity to live a meaningful life.

Her youngest son of the four she kept is now 7, whom she found when she was 82 years-old. Even though she felt she was too old to raise a young child, she knew taking him home was better than leaving him to die.

"Even though I was already getting old I could not simply ignore the baby and leave him to die in the trash...I took him back to our home, which is a very small modest house in the countryside and nursed him to health. He is now a thriving little boy, who is happy and healthy."

It all started in 1972 when she found the first little girl in the trash. Lying there with no hope to survive, she took her home and raised her as one of her own.

"Watching her grow and become stronger gave us such happiness and I realised I had a real love of caring for children," said Xiaoying.

Even though she could not afford it, she managed to find a way to save these children's lives, one by one. She gave them a chance to live, when others did not. She is a true hero.

One of the many little boys saved by Lou Xiaoying.