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Eight-year-old Zhang Xiaoming suffers from a severe kidney disease. Photo: Xiancn.com

New | Chinese mother forgoes surgery to save money for sick son’s treatment

A mother in China who has been diagnosed uterine fibroids has decided against having an operation to improve her condition so she can save the money to treat her sick son, according to Chinese media reports.

The woman’s eight-year-old son, Zhang Xiaoming, has a severe kidney disease and is being treated in Xian, Shaanxi province, Xian Evening News reports.

The family sold all 20 of their goats to pay his medical bills and the woman’s husband, Zhang Caizhu, survives on a bun and salted vegetables each day. They also have a mentally disabled 15-year-old daughter.

Hospital staff said doctors and nurses took turns to buy meals for Xiaoming’s father. A nursing worker once bought him a new pair of shoes after seeing the man walking around barefooted because his shoes were worn out.

The woman was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago but had chemotherapy just once because the family could not afford more treatment. She was diagnosed with uterine fibroids earlier this year, but has decided against an operation to remove them so as not to spend more money that could otherwise be used for Xiaoming’s treatment.

The child needs regular medication and his family is hundreds and thousands of yuan in debt because of his medical bills. If not treated, Xiaoming’s kidneys might fail and he might need a transplant, a doctor said.

 

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