They succeeded, and after three hours, step one of four was complete.

Operation two was a cervical osteotomy, where his cervical spine would be broken and reconstructed, which took six hours, after which Li Hua could lift his head for the first time since his teen years.

His mother, who said that her heart was aching for him, was overjoyed when she saw him looking directly at her.

The third step was a lumbar spine osteotomy, where his lumbar spine would be broken and reconstructed, with Doctor Tao explaining that it was groundbreaking to combine all of these surgeries in such a short space of time.

It proved successful, as he could sit up straight.

Despite getting a fever after it, it was found that the inflammation was not serious, so Li Hua was ready for the final surgery.

This would involve replacing his hip joints so he could stand up straight.

After seven gruelling hours, Li Hua came out of the operation successfully, and able to stand up straight for the first time in 28 years.

He emotionally said: “I could finally take a closer look at my mum. She has grown old and her hair has turned grey. I hope I can recover soon, so that she can be relieved of this burden.”

Due to his shrunken muscles, he had to stay in the hospital’s care as he learned to walk again and complete everyday tasks, before being released from the hospital the following summer.

Li Hua and his mother tearfully thanked the hospital for their help, as the video closes on a shot of Li Hua finally being able to look up at the sky for the first time in almost three decades.