A young man whose legs have swollen to several times their normal size because of elephantiasis has outlived his doctors’ prognosis by seven years and calls himself a " miracle ".
Liu Zhongqiu, 26, says medics gave him the "death sentence" in 2000 when he was just 19 and said he would not live to see his 20th birthday.
The man from Fuxing City in north-eastern China’s Liaoning Province has the extremely rare disease known as filariasis, which is contracted after parasitic roundworms enter a patient’s body through blood-feeding black flies and mosquitoes.
The disease has manifested itself in Liu’s elephantiasis - more scientifically called lymphatic filariasis - and is what has caused his "elephant legs" to develop over the years.
He is now begging on the streets of Wuhan, capital of Central China’s Hubei Province, and using the money he gets to visit hospitals in the city.
Liu said: "They told me I wouldn’t live past 20, but it’s now been seven years. I believe I am a miracle."
Liu claims he has given up all hope of his legs returning to normal and now only wants to survive.
The elephantiasis has also begun to worsen and reach his abdomen, Liu says, adding that one of his greatest fears is one day waking up to find that both his legs have "exploded" from the swelling.