To save money, he would spend the night at the Liupanshui train station until dawn, when he could catch a bus home.
Each trip would take at least two days, with Shi completing a dozen such journeys in the past year.
"I cannot remember how many times I've waited for sunrise at the train station," said Shi, before bursting into tears.
Yet, despite having leukemia and needing to embark on long trips to receive treatment, Shi continued his education at home and has managed to maintain top grades, saying that he wants to keep reading and studying to achieve higher grades.
According to his teachers, Shi has scored top grades in math tests for the past year, and consistently scored above 90 in Chinese tests.
"He looked a bit pale and lonely before, but his grades were surprisingly good," said Peng Lu, Shi's Chinese teacher.
To alleviate him of loneliness, teachers assigned him a few study buddies.
"My classmates like me, and we are happy to study together," Shi said.
With the help of local media, thousands of people have learned of Shi's story. People from all over the country are sending donations.
"We've received about 500,000 yuan in donations, and I'm speechless," Shi was quoted by China Youth Daily as saying. "I'll get cured of the disease and study hard."
With the aid of the Angel Mom Foundation, Shi will be transferred to the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University.
"He will save time on traveling, as well as benefiting fully from his insurance policy now he is being treated in his home province," said a spokesman for the foundation.
His father said: "Luckily, we didn't give up, and because we didn't give up, we have this help from the world. I could never have imagined that so many people would be willing to help us, it's such a surprise."
"If we receive more donations after he is cured, I will give the money to others who are in need," he said, adding that they had already achieved their target.
