Students in China walked over 1.2 miles to the hospital for the 'most special graduation photo'

Students from the Sichuan Province in China walked 1.2 miles to the hospital for their graduation photo because of a tear-jerking reason. The class made that journey to be with their terminally ill classmate and click the graduation photo with him, per the South China Morning Post. The 15-year-old boy, Ren Junjie, at the hospital, had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma — a cancer of the lymphatic system — a year before and had to quit school to receive treatment for his illness.

On May 17, 2025, around 50 students in a junior secondary graduating class from the Yilong Middle School made the journey to the hospital along with their teachers. They walked for more than 1.2 miles from their school to the Yilong People’s Hospital to take the graduation photo with their sick classmate. The boy had moved to another city for his treatment last year and had moved back to a hospital closer to home recently. It was only a month before the students' senior secondary school entrance examinations — a defining moment in a student's life in China. Yet, after a teacher's suggestion, the students still chose to make the trip.

A few students went to the boy's hospital ward, helped him change into his school uniform and wheeled his bed to the hospital garden for the graduation photo. They then stood around the bed to pose for a photo that is being hailed as "the most special graduation photo in the world" by many. The students also brought letters and gifts for the boy, which included best wishes and encouraging messages. They also gave him a basketball that had been signed by all of them and featured his name. "I wish you could get well and come back to us soon," one student wrote, per the outlet. "I admire your courage to battle the illness. Get well soon andplay computer games with us," another person shared.

Someone from Junjie's family posted the graduation photo and pictures of the gifts online, thanking the students and teachers for being there for the teenager. They also gave the students best wishes for their upcoming exams. Unfortunately, the boy died a few hours after the photo at 4 AM the next morning, only a month before his 16th birthday. His family announced the news the next day, when his father and other family members appreciated the school's gesture for their son and were grateful that they now had a special memory with Junjie. A parent from the boy's class explained that their child had called them about Junjie's death and cried over the phone.

The story touched more than 8 million people online, and many people gave their condolences to the family. "In the last group photo in his life, surrounding him were the best classmates and teachers in the world," a person commented. "He went to heaven the next day after the group photo. Maybe he had been holding on for this precious moment." Someone else expressed, "The students in his class had the best lesson that they could never learn from a textbook." Yet another person wished for the boy to be happy and healthy in his next life. "In his next life, he will be a healthy and happy child."