'Cola Boy' now an employee of Coca-Cola

Xue Xiao, a native of Mianzhu in Sichuan province, was trapped underneath the rubble of a collapsed building for 80 hours after the earthquake. His right arm was later amputated.

While rescuers pulled him free, the youngster said: "I want a cola, an icy one", which gained him the nickname "Cola Boy".

The comments brought relief and amusement to a country amid great sorrow.

In 2013, Xue earned an internship at Coca-Cola China in Shanghai, and his connection to the drink persists to this day — the 30-year-old works for COFCO Coca-Cola Beverage (Sichuan) Co Ltd.