Defying Disability: How 3 Chinese sisters with brittle bone disease became an online hit

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Brittle bone disease is a genetic disorder which makes the bones incredibly easy to break. In China, it affects one in every 15-thousand people. In a rural part of southwest China, three sisters with the condition are overcoming their pain and hardship by streaming their lives online. CGTN's Tao Yuan has their story.

Like thousands of young people in China, they try to make a living by live-streaming online. But for the Peng sisters, even sitting takes effort. They suffer from a condition known as brittle bone disease. Peng Yan is the eldest of the sisters. She's 32 years old and weighs 13 kilograms.

PENG YAN ELDEST SISTER "Our bones break easily. The more they break, the more deformed our bodies get. The deformity deepens each time."

The sisters are now an internet hit, having amassed nearly half a million online followers. But their videos are not about their pain and hardship.

JIANG TINGLAN MOTHER "We call them the optimistic glass dolls, that's what they are. When they sing a song while live-streaming or something, I encourage them. I say, 'My three daughters are the best!'"

The sisters' decision to put themselves out there wasn't an easy one. For most of their lives, they were confined to their bed. They never went to school, and only learned how to read by watching television.

PENG YAN ELDEST SISTER "We just didn't have the courage. We were scared of letting people know what we are like, how pathetic we are."

"We'd scare people away."

They didn't. And through social media, well-wishers flooded them with messages. Last year, one follower even donated these automated wheelchairs, which helped to expand their world.

JIANG TINGLAN MOTHER "For almost 32 years, they were never able to come outside."

PENG YAN ELDEST SISTER "We don't want to go back home. My little sister would drive really fast to ditch my mom. She'd say, 'Mom, go home. I'll come home later.'"

Now, the girls sell local snacks while live-streaming. Their parents help with the packaging and shipping. The family now makes more than what Mrs. Peng used to earn working as a babysitter elsewhere.

PENG YAN ELDEST SISTER "I feel proud. It boosted our confidence. At least my mom can stay at home and won't have to work so hard for other people."

Once, for the girls, being able to support themselves was only a distant dream. But they've always secretly dreamed of something else.

PENG YAN ELDEST SISTER "If only I could turn into a normal person, I don't mind dying after five years. I'd be able to go to places and do things. Five years is enough for me."

A dream which many people take for granted. Tao Yuan, CGTN, Chongqing.