An impoverished couple in China both diagnosed with cancer have had to draw lots to decide who should continue to be treated.
Ke Meinan, 46, and his wife Wang Huaying, 42, had to make the impossible decision after their 16-year-old daughter recently fell seriously ill and needed expensive medical treatment to survive.
Mr Ke and Ms Wang, who had already sold their house and run into huge debts, said they would spare no efforts in saving their teenage child. But that also means they would not be able to afford the medical bills for both of them.
Ke Meinan, 46, and his wife Wang Huaying, 42, decided their fate using two pieces of paper on June 26 in Nanchang, China. The couple, both suffering from cancer, would not be able to afford the medical bills of both of them because their daughter had also fell seriously ill
Mr Ke consoled his wife after she draw a blank piece of paper which meant she could carry on receiving treatment. Her husband was quoted saying: ‘You should go on and raise our daughter properly into adulthood.’ The public have flocked to donate money to the family
The desperate couple hoped that the decision could ensure one of them to carry on living and look after their sick daughter Ke Xinyi, who suffers from chronic lupus disease.
The heart-breaking story was reported by Nanchang Radio and Television Station.
In a video report last week, a crying Ms Wang is seen holding a piece of blank paper while her husband consoled her ‘you should go on and raise our daughter properly into adulthood’.
The blank paper meant ‘to treat’.
However, it turns out that the sad family ceremony came with a surprising twist.
The couple’s elder daughter, 16-year-old Xinyi (pictured), was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic illness where the body’s immune system attacks its own antibodies even if they are healthy
Mr Ke told a reporter that he had already decided to give the opportunity of receiving treatment to his wife. Therefore, he had prepared two pieces of blank paper and asked his wife to draw first.
‘If I hadn’t done that, she would not receive treatment without worries,’ he said.
The man said doctors had told him his wife’s condition was better than his, therefore she was expected to live longer.
According to reports, Mr Ke and Ms Wang have two daughters, aged 16 and nine.
Mr Ke is said to be diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of 2015 and his wife spent all their savings to treat him.
While looking after her husband, Ms Wang was found to have breast cancer less than a year later. In order to afford her medical bills, the couple decided to sell their house and borrow as much as possible from their relatives.
The family story came with a surprising twist. Mr Ke (pictured) said he had already decided to give the opportunity to his wife. Therefore, he had prepared two pieces of blank paper and asked his wife to draw first. The couple had agreed that the blank paper meant ‘to treat’
In May this year, the couple’s elder daughter Xinyi fell ill suddenly and was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic illness where the body’s immune system attacks its own antibodies even if they are healthy.
Xinyi is said to have a series of serious symptoms including acute kidney failure and had to undergo dialysis to survive.
Her initial treatment had costed Mr Ke and Ms Wang 180,000 yuan (£20,000) and they were told by doctors to prepare hundreds of thousands of yuan more for follow-up treatment.
Xinyi is being treated at the Number One Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University in Nanchang, the provincial capital of Jiangxi.
After hearing about the family’s story, doctors and nurses at the hospital’s dialysis unit donated money to Xinyi to help relieve the family’s financial burden.
China Charities Aid Foundation for Children has also started a fund-raising campaign to help with the family.
Web users donated more than 902,000 yuan (£104, 235) to Xinyi during the one-day online charity project on Saturday.
Lupus develops differently in each person. Some might experience symptoms slowly such as tiredness or joint aches while others will have severe problems right away
Speaking to Nanchang Radio and Television Station, Xinyi said she was touched by well-wishers’ generosity.
The 16-year-old said: ‘I feel so warm. I will study hard to realise my dream of going to a medical school to return their kindness and work with them in the future.’
Mr Ke told Btime.com: ‘I thank the kind-hearted people for their help.’
Although the family have received enough donations for their daughter’s treatment, it remains unclear whether or not Mr Ke would resume the treatment for his stomach cancer.