Denis Santos
A seven-year-old boy, dying from brain tumor, tells his ill mother to let him die so she can have his kidney and extend her life.
Chen Xiaotian was just five years old when doctors found a cancerous tumor on his brain. What’s more heartbreaking to the family, his mother, Zho Lu (34) was diagnosed with contracted kidney disease.
He recovered at the early stages of the disease, but the cancer returned and was warned he could not reach adulthood.
The pair battled through together for two years. Within this time frame, the two had their highs and lows. There was even a time that both of them had become really weak.
At the latter part of Chen’s fight, he lost his sight and became bed-ridden weak. On the other hand, Zhou needed a kidney transplant to survive.
After the situation was said to Chen’s grandmother, Lu Yuanxiu (57) said: “The doctors approached me rather than his mother because of the sensitive nature of the issue. They told me that my grandson would not survive but his kidneys could help his mother and also save two other lives as well.”
Eventually, Chen told his mother, “I want to save your life.”
A Perfect Fit
Zhou was hesitant at first. No mother wished to take away his son’s life. In tears, she agreed. If her son was to die, her only consolation was that part of him would live on in her, she said.
The doctors confirmed that the tissues Chen and Zhou matched perfectly. When Chen died, he was put to operation where his kidneys and liver were transferred to his mother and to two more people.
Doctors did not give Zhou the assurance that she could live a normal life again, but the results showed her son’s kidney gave her a miracle recovery.
Chen’s second kidney went to a 21-year-old girl and his liver to a 27-year-old man. The hospital spokesman Yi Tai said all three transplants were successful. Miraculously, the child’s death allowed the three to continue their lives.
