Jimu News Reporter Zhang Qi Xie Mao
In the ward of the East Courtyard of Shanghai Renji Hospital, 9-year-old Yang Jiafeng (hereinafter referred to as Xiao Feng) leaned weakly on the arm of his father, Yang Xuezhong, whose abdominal catheter was draining fluid out of his body. Due to the effect of intra-abdominal fluid accumulation caused by cirrhosis, Xiao Feng's stomach looked unusually large. Before the surgery, his stomach was almost twice as large as it is now, like the belly of a pregnant woman waiting to give birth at term.
Xiao Feng's figure contrasts sharply with his huge belly: the 9-year-old looks much thinner than the 6-year-old girl in the bed next door. After undergoing surgery in July 2021, Xiao Feng's fluid accumulation in his body decreased a lot, and his body also improved, which made his father Yang Xuezhong very happy. The Yunnan man's tone was very firm: "After 8 years, I want to cure my child." ”
However, the cost of the child's follow-up treatment is still unknown, and Yang Xuezhong, who is heavily indebted, hopes to get help from well-wishers in society.
Do not abandon the wife of the sick child to divorce
Yang Xuezhong, 40, is from Lincang City, Yunnan Province. As the eldest in the family, he waited until his younger siblings were married. After Xiaofeng was born, Yang Xuezhong found that the child's eyes would occasionally swell, but the swelling would soon subside after taking the drug. When Xiaofeng reaches the age of 1, the swelling of the eyes becomes frequent, and it takes a long time after taking the drug to reduce the swelling. After that, Xiao Feng also had coughing and breathing difficulties, and Yang Xuezhong found that the child's stomach was abnormally gradually getting bigger.
Before coming to Shanghai for surgery, Xiao Feng's stomach was abnormally swollen and looked more prominent than that of a pregnant woman waiting to give birth. This brings many inconveniences to Xiao Feng's life: eat more, otherwise you will feel swelling and pain, and when the cough is more serious, you must have adults to help press your stomach, otherwise the pain will be unbearable. Due to his large belly, Xiao Feng could not squat normally, and Yang Xuezhong prepared a plastic bucket for him to sit and defecate.
Xiao Feng, 9, has undergone two surgeries
In addition, Xiao Feng had to be hospitalized every once in a while, so he could not go to school normally. Yang Xuezhong himself has not been to school, nor can he teach his children to learn. The 9-year-old Xiao Feng has only been in the first grade so far.
After Xiao Feng fell ill, Yang Xuezhong's wife asked a doctor without her family and learned that it costs a lot of money to treat Xiao Feng's illness, which is a "bottomless pit". The wife found Yang Xuezhong, hoping that he would give up treating Xiao Feng, and the two could have another child. "I can't give up on my child," said Yang Xuezhong, who tried to persuade his wife to work together to cure her child's illness. Unexpectedly, the wife decided to divorce and leave after a few years. Yang Xuezhong made up his mind that he must cure the child.
The father resolutely cut his liver to save his son
In the nearly 8 years since then, Yang Xuezhong took his children to hospitals in Lincang, Kunming and other places for examination and learned that the child's liver was problematic. Doctors suggested that liver transplantation might cure his child's illness. However, the high cost of surgery made Yang Xuezhong prohibitive.
Yang Xuezhong usually farms for a living, and when he is idle, he will go to the construction site to do odd jobs to subsidize the family, and the odd jobs are usually 100 yuan a day, and the pigs and cattle kept in captivity at home are the most important sources of income. Yang Xuezhong said that originally Xiao Feng was taken care of by his grandmother, and he often took his children to see a doctor, so he had to miss work, and then went directly home to take care of the children, and the family's income was even more scarce.
In April 2021, Teacher Li of Xiaofeng School noticed Zhou Tao, a pediatric hepatobiliary expert at Shanghai Renji Hospital. After learning about Xiaofeng's situation, Zhou Tao said that he could arrange treatment and apply for fund relief for him. "It was my happiest day." Yang Xuezhong said that Teacher Li helped him prepare the application materials and asked him to take his child to Shanghai for treatment.
On May 1, 2021, Yang Xuezhong took Xiaofeng from Yunnan to Shanghai and went through the admission procedures for the child with the help of the hospital on the same day. Xiao Feng was later diagnosed with "cryptogenic cirrhosis" in the hospital, and after examination, liver transplantation was the best treatment plan, and Yang Xuezhong and his son were successfully matched. Knowing that Xiaofeng had the opportunity to be treated, Teacher Li was also happy for him, and the school and teachers also provided assistance. With the help of the Foundation and all parties, the medical expenses were finally settled.
"Dad is about to donate your liver, and from now on you will be happy with your liver." Before Xiaofeng's surgery, Dr. Zhou Tao recorded on social platforms. On July 7, 2021, Yang Xuezhong entered the operating room with his son, and after 8 hours of surgery, part of Yang Xuezhong's liver was successfully transplanted into his son's body.
The pain in both openings was unbearable
On the morning of January 4, Jimu News reporter met Yang Xuezhong in the East Courtyard of Shanghai Renji Hospital. Because of the hard work of half a year and the impact of surgery, he looked much more haggard than when he first arrived in Shanghai, and his eyes were covered with blood. He showed reporters two long scars on his stomach after the operation: the scars were connected vertically, and the end spacing was nearly 20 centimeters. Yang Xuezhong said that after the liver transplant, his wounds would be very painful from time to time, sometimes to the point that he was sweating. However, thinking of his son, he only felt that no matter how much pain it was worth it.
Scars left by Yang Xuezhong after liver transplantation
Like Yang Xuezhong, Xiao Feng also had a long scar on his stomach and several scars formed by punctures. Xiao Feng's stomach was nearly half smaller than before the operation, and the rest of his body also became thinner, and the 9-year-old looked much thinner than the 6-year-old girl in the next bed, only the huge belly was more prominent.
Next to Xiao Feng's bedside, there was a folding chair about the size of a student's stool. Affected by his stomach, Xiao Feng did not sleep steadily, and would be awakened from time to time at night. Yang Xuezhong sat on the chair every night to guard his son, and sometimes when he was really sleepy, he put down the back of the chair and lay down, so he waited for half a year.
Yang Xuezhong hugged his son and let him drain the effusion in his abdomen
"Dad, my stomach is a little bloated." Xiao Feng lay on the hospital bed and patted Yang Xuezhong on the side. It turned out that Xiao Feng's lower abdomen was equipped with a diversion device connected to the urine bag, and when he felt that his stomach was distended, Yang Xuezhong would turn on the switch and let the fluid in his body drain into the urine bag. "It's usually 1,000 milliliters a day, and at most 3,000 milliliters are discharged." Yang Xuezhong slowly helped his son to sit up, telling about the changes in his son's body after surgery. The Yunnan Hanzi, who was still able to grit his teeth in the pain of the wound, did not know when a layer of tears began to gush in his eyes. The son was now leaning on his solid arm, and could not see the tears flashing in his father's eyes.
Follow-up costs are a rush
"The child was still very lively before the operation." Yang Xuezhong said that Xiao Feng is not introverted, and occasionally goes out to find friends to play with when he is at home. After the operation, the body was very weak and rarely laughed. The child also wants to read, and he has asked himself why he can't read.
During Xiaofeng's treatment in Shanghai, Teacher Li has been working hard to cheer him up and seek assistance for him. Teacher Li forwarded many recent situations of Xiao Feng on the short video website, letting the outside world know about Xiao Feng's condition and Yang Xuezhong's father's love of "cutting the liver to save his son". "He came to school for a few days, he couldn't do his homework, he cried and said teacher, don't scold me, my mother ran away, my father had to do farm work at home, and my grandmother couldn't move when she was old." Teacher Li said that she could feel Xiao Feng's desire to study and live, which was very painful.