May 12, 2008 began as it did most days for 23-year-old Jolly Liao, in the small town of Han Wang in Sichuan, China.
After taking care of her 10-month-old daughter, which she nicknamed Chong (little caterpillar), Liao was getting ready to head to her dance studio, while her mother-in-law cared for her girl.
That afternoon a deadly magnitude eight earthquake hit and shattered her life forever.
Wednesday, the News sat down with Liao and her interpreter, Mandy Wang, to hear of her harrowing experience.
"It was all so sudden," she said. "It started with a little shaking and then it was like the end of the world."
The apartment building she lived in collapsed and both legs were pinned under a huge piece of concrete that fell from the ceiling.
Her mother-in-law was holding Chong when the earthquake hit and Liao quickly threw herself over the two in an attempt to save them.
"After the earthquake, I called my mother-in-law's name and she told me not to move as she was underneath me . I knew without her saying a word that my daughter was dead," she said as she relived the horror.
"She kept screaming for help and then eight hours later she was silent . I knew she had died too."
When her dad found her amongst the rubble hours later, Liao begged him to saw her legs off, because she saw it as her only hope of survival.
"I was in fear of the roof on the apartment above me collapsing on me," said the pragmatic and mature young survivor about why she wanted her dad to cut off her legs. "I was afraid I would be dead before help came and I just wanted to live."
Her father ran to the makeshift hospital but the doctors would not allow him to perform an amputation.
Liao was buried under the rubble for more than 26 hours, her legs badly crushed, before she was rescued. Out of the 46 residents in the building at the time, Liao was the only survivor.
"I lost hope that my legs could be saved and when I arrived at the tent-hospital the doctors told me I was going to lose my legs," said Liao.
The professional dancer told the doctors to go ahead.
"I signed the form giving the doctors the authority to cut off my legs," she said.
"All I could think of at the time was that I had lost my precious daughter."
"When my husband came to the hospital and found out our daughter died, he left me," said Liao.
Despite everything she lost, Liao encouraged other patients in the hospital with her optimistic outlook and engaging smile.
"There were more than 10,000 and hardly any beds so many of us slept on the ground," she said.
"Eventually, I was moved to a hospital in a larger city, a hospital where two-thirds were children . it was extremely hard."
For months, she mourned the daughter she lost.
On June 1, China's national Children's Day, the hospital hosted a fete. Liao said up to that point she had never cried publicly - that day she openly sobbed.
"I watched the children's performances and saw their happiness and I kept sobbing," she said. "I wanted to get up on stage and sing my daughter's favourite song, Planting the Sun, as a dedication to her."
That day was the day Liao decided to start exercising her body.
Although, she had no prosthetics, volunteers in the hospital encouraged her get back to what she loved - dancing. She trained herself, a few minutes at a time, to dance on her stumps.
One day, one of the hospital volunteers, who was involved in the Miss World 2008 pageant, asked her if she wanted to attend the ceremony.
"I was invited as a special guest to dance during the show," she said, smiling shyly.
Liao trained for more than three hours a day through excruciating pain. On July 14, the world watched on TV as a petite double amputee gracefully danced on a large drum in front of hundreds of thousands in the audience.
"When the MC introduced me, I was trembling," she said. "I was afraid that I would freak out the audience."
Instead, the determined young lady received a standing ovation.
"I knew then that I had to inspire other amputees and other young people who are suicidal and tell them there is hope and that life is precious," Liao said.
Through her performances dancing on a drum using the bare stumps of her knees, Liao had raised funds to rebuild her hometown, which was destroyed during the earthquake.
She has been honoured with more than 10 national awards for her fundraising efforts, and was recognized by the Chinese government as the most successful Woman in China in 2009.
In 2009, she also visited Vancouver and Calgary to raise awareness about the victims in Sichuan and to thank Canadians for their support.
Now, she is back in B.C as a guest of the CIEAF (Canadian International Education Assistance Foundation) for a North American speaking tour, beginning in Richmond.
"Jolly is here to show other young people not to give up and to be inspired by her story," said Angela Chow, who is with CIEAF.
Liao has traveled more than two days from her home in Sichuan, to share her inspiring story of hope and recovery to Richmondites at a number of local schools the Colours of Dance Academy and the Caring Place.
On Mon., Oct. 24 at City Hall she'll speak to the city's emergency preparation program. For more information, call 778-709-0721 or visit www.cieaf.com.
mhopkins@richmond-news.com
