Boy with leukemia faces huge medical bill
The family of a 13-year-old boy with leukemia who received a vital stem cell operation now face huge medical bills that they can not afford to pay, the Shanghai Children's Medical Center announced Monday.
The boy, named Wen Hao, comes from Junlian County of southwestern Sichuan Province. His mother, Liu Xingcui, has raised 150,000 yuan so far, which can only cover half of the total bill.
Wen was diagnosed with leukemia in a county hospital in late 2011 after he suffered from a high fever that would not go down. For a better chance at more high quality treatment, Liu brought her son to Shanghai with 6,000 yuan of borrowed money. From then, the mother and son came to Shanghai for five consecutive years for annual chemotherapy.
However, Wen's situation deteriorated in 2017 and it was found that his life was in danger during a blood test in a local hospital.
When Wen came to Shanghai again, he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and had to receive platelets transfusions twice a week. The weekly 4,000 yuan in medical expenses soon burned through Liu's borrowed money.
To help Wen fully recover, they came to Shanghai Children's Medical Center, which is also China's largest transplant hospital for children. Fortunately, they found a donor match through the China Marrow Donor Program in March.
The hospital has applied for financial subsidies for the family, though it still could not cover the medical bill.
To make sure the 13-year-old did not miss the rare transplantation opportunity, the hospital made an exception for the family and conducted the stem cell operation last Friday. The operation is the first step of the total transplant, and Wen still faces more challenges during the following injection and rejection treatment, which will also rack up huge medical bills.
Liu said she is seeking a helping hand from society to help her boy to go through these procedures, and to be able to go to school and enjoy life as other children can.
To learn more about Wen's situation and donate, please contact the hospital by phone: 38626161, extension 82031.
