‘Her heart is beginning to fail’: days may be numbered for 8-year-old Hong Kong girl Tin-yu left in vegetative state after surgery incident: family
- Family of Chau Tin-yu preparing for the worst amid signs of heart failure, calling their pain ‘beyond description’
- Eight-year-old has been permanently bedridden since delay to blood transfusion during 2020 surgery for rare cancer, which also left her with severe intellectual disabilities
The days may be numbered for an eight-year-old Hong Kong girl who was left in a vegetative state after an incident during surgery at a public hospital in 2020, her family has said, as signs of heart failure emerge and relatives prepare for the worst.
Chau Tin-yu was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of rare cancer, in 2018. But during surgery to remove the tumour two years later, a blood transfusion was delayed by 48 minutes, leaving her permanently bedridden.
Her family on Saturday said on their social media page that her situation “did not look positive” and she might not survive.
“The doctor told us that Tin-yu has been having low blood pressure and her heart has been beating slow. It is believed that her heart is beginning to fail,” they wrote.
“In fact, the doctor has started giving her inotropes, but it has not been very effective,” they said, referring to medication that alters the force of muscle contractions.
The family said that although they had mentally prepared themselves in the past few years, the pain in their hearts was “beyond description”.
“Tin-yu’s life may be counting down. We do understand that with her situation, rather than prolonging her suffering, it might be better for her to comfortably head to heaven,” they said.