A Chinese woman whose knees bent the wrong way has been able to take her first steps - at the age of 26. Chen Tuanzhi was born with congenital genu recurvatum disease, or 'backward-bending knee,' which left her unable to walk or lie down straight. Her family Xiamen, in southeast China's Fujian Province, were too poor to pay for corrective treatment so she would use her hands to pull her body along the ground. Rare: Chen Tuanzhi has serious congenital gen recurvatum disease which left her legs pointing in an L-shape . Major strides: She was able to take her first steps at the age of 26 after charities paid for a series of medical procedures . Villagers even referred to her as the 'crawling girl,' the People's Daily Online reports. But after local media covered her story, enough money was raises to pay for medical treatment to be carried out by specialists in Taiwan. Chen's mother said before her daughter's treatment, she had grown used to the disability but was still upset by the comments and stares of people in public. Straight at last: Chen Tuanzhi was born with congenital genu recurvatum disease which caused her knees to bend backwards. She had several operations to make them straight . On her feet: Chen Tuanzhi was known in her village as the 'crawling girl' as she could not walk. She spent months recovering after several operations . Proud moment: Chen Tuanzhi, who was born with a serious deformity that left her unable to walk, takes her first steps in front of delighted onlookers . Despite her disability, she managed to gain a place and graduate from her local school and is now at college studying social work and management. Genu recurvatum loosely translates as 'backward-bending knee.' It is a rare condition with an incidence rate of approximately 1 per 100,000 live births and is characterised by congenital hyperextension of the knee with limited flexibility . It occurs more often in females than in males. Untreated, it leads to increased tissue damage and can cause permanent deformity, making timely diagnosis and treatment are essential. Depending upon the type and severity of the condition, it may be treated with physical therapy, a knee support, leg braces or surgery. Her studies caught people's attention and the Xiamen Charity Federation and Taiwan's Tzu Chi foundation offered to fund her treatment. She underwent seven operations and 10 months' treatment at Taiwan's Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital before going home to walk for the first time. 'To be honest, I never really dreamed that I would one day be able to stand on my own two feet and even walk like other people,' she said. 'It is more than a dream come true, it is a miracle. 'I was so happy when I had people to see me off at the airport and I was able to tell them I was now ready for the walk back home.' Chen Yinghe, honorary President of the Taiwan's Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, said that Chen's disease, which has been reported only twice in the world so far, had posed a great medical challenge. He said: 'The girl's legs have never been normally used since she was born so there are lots of factors that are out of our control in the wound healing process.' Simple pleasures: Chen makes a peace sign while riding in her family's car. She was not able to sit straight before her surgery . Time to go: Chen poses for the camera while sat on a toilet - something she could not do while her knees were back-to-front . Grateful: Chen stands proudly with the team of doctors who helped her walk for the first time in 26 years . Chen  now proudly stands at 4ft tall, 30 centimetres taller than she measured previously. A volunteer from the foundation said she showed a lot of courage throughout the treatment, which would have been incredibly painful. He said: 'Chen always smiled at others and never complained about the pain caused by the surgeries, including several that involve breaking her bones.'
Chen Tuanzhi, 26, was born with 'backward-bending knee' condition . Became known as 'crawling girl' in her village as she couldn't use her legs . Rare condition only occurs in 1 in 100,000 babies at birth . Charities paid for her to undergo painful treatment in Taiwan .