Heart of a Hero

XiuFeng’s sister has always been his biggest fan—especially on the basketball court.

“XiuFeng is my hero, so I never missed a game!” she says. “I was so proud of him. When he scored, I clapped as loud as I could.”

“It made me feel like a superstar,” XiuFeng admits.

Then one day after a game, he fainted.

“It was like there was a hammer pounding my heart,’ he explains.  “I got a sharp pain in my chest, and everything started spinning.”

“Doctors said he had trouble with the upper part of his heart and had a sudden heart attack,” his father reports. “I couldn’t believe it.”

In the next few years, XueFeng had many more heart attacks.

He shares through tears, “I couldn’t go to school.  I couldn’t play basketball. I was a burden to my family -a shell, a zombie. So, I wiped my basketball clean every day and dreamed of playing again someday.”

Meanwhile, his sister stayed by his bedside-- cheering him on.

“I hoped it would make him forget everything. I wished I could take the pain for him,” she says.

But his heart got worse. Desperate to save XiuFeng’s life, the Nongs tried to borrow money for surgery.

“We made a list of all the people we thought would help, but they all said no,” says Mr. Nong.

His wife adds, “It hurt so much to watch my child lying in bed, waiting to die.”

One time, he was hospitalized for a whole week after a heart attack.

“That’s when a lady from CBN came to visit me in the hospital,” XiuFeng recalls. “She said, ‘Don't be afraid, be brave. We will help you’”

We set up surgery for XiuFeng right away.  Doctors repaired his heart, and his dream of playing basketball again came true.

“My son is alive again” says Mr. Nong with a big smile.  “He’s made a very strong recovery!”

“My hero brother is back!” proclaims XiuFeng’s sister.  “He’s even teaching me to play basketball.”

Mr. Nong shares, “And when we were in the hospital, we heard about Jesus for the first time.”

“The lady from CBN said people helped me because God loves me.  So, I accepted God as my master, and He filled my heart with peace,” XiuFeng adds. He concludes, “I'm happier than ever before. Because I have a new life!”