A boy shows off a piece of art he has made. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

"I realized these children were very eager to keep learning," said Liu Zhengchen, who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was a university student. In 2001, he founded the foundation to help children with the disease.

However, Liu and his team have discovered that it can be difficult to teach the children. Some close themselves off from other people and rarely speak. Others are restless and uncooperative, and they are always crying.

Understandably, most parents are indulgent with their children. "I don't know how long his life will last. I'll try my best to make him happy," said one father.

However, instead of pandering excessively to the children, Liu insists that the teachers treat them like regular students. If children have behavioral problems in class, he guides them to rectify the situation immediately.

"After they recover, they will eventually go back to school and their communities. Then, nobody will care about the doctors in the way their parents and doctors do now," Liu said. "We want to help them fight the disease, but we also expect them to have the ability to deal with normal life."