Something that many of us have come to realize about young children is the fact that they can be resourceful. That resourcefulness may even show up in the most amazing ways, which is what happened in southwestern France.

It all took place in an apartment in Nersac, where a 9-year-old French boy was left completely on his own by his mother. She had abandoned him, but he was not about to give up so easily.

For two years, he lived at the apartment on his own. At times, he had to live without electricity or heat but he continued to do what he could to keep his life going. This included taking himself to school.

From the ages of nine to 11, the young boy was living all on his own. Nobody noticed that the young child was living in this situation, including the school. They even reported that he was a good student.

Sometimes, the neighbors would bring him food but they still didn’t know that he was on his own. He would eat canned food and cake, just to get by.

Sometimes, he would go to a neighbor’s balcony and grab tomatoes to eat as well. He had to sleep with three large comforters, as he often didn’t have heat and electricity and he would use cold water to wash himself.

Meanwhile, his mother, only lived 5 km away from her son in a neighboring community. On occasion, the 39-year-old woman would visit him to give him food but it was not very often.