This is a situation no parents should have to face: to see your own child’s life-support being turned off.
A mother in central China is struggling to decide whether or not she should stop saving her ill daughter after spending every penny she had to save the six-year-old.
The child, named Jinjin, had lain in the hospital in a coma for over 300 days before the doctors asked her parents to make a choice: to carry on paying for the bills or to give up on the treatment.
Mother, Xie Huihan, hoped to see her daughter wake up from a 300-day coma
Six-year-old Jinjin from central China was diagnosed with encephalitis at a Children’s Hospital
Little Jinjin was diagnosed with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
The doctors told Jinjin’s heart-broken mother, Xie Huihan, that Jinjin’s condition was unstable and they didn’t know how long it would take for her to recover – if at all.
A set of pictures emerged online showing the little girl lying in a coma with tubes tied to her mouth as her worrying mother stayed beside her.
JinJin was taken to the hospital on October 20, 2016, when she was found vomiting and tired by her parents at their home in Henan Province.
She underwent a serious of medical tests including lumbar puncture, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain and a computerised tomography (CT) scan on the chest.
Doctors from Shangqiu People’s Hospital confirmed that Jinjin had encephalitis, a serious condition that requires stringent treatment.
Jinjin also has pneumonia, respiratory failure and Myasthenia Gravis, lack of muscles strength
Given the condition, Xie was told by the doctors to switch off Jinjin’s life-support machine
Xie thought of ending her daughter’s life as the family struggled to pay the medical bills
After a 13-day treatment, Jinjin’s condition had not appeared to get better. What’s worse? She had developed pnuemonia.
Jinjin was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit of Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital on November 4.
The six-year-old was also diagnosed with respiratory failure and Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular disease that led to skeletal muscle weakness.
Jinjin was in a state of coma and had to plug in a life-support machine.
Mother, Xie Huihan, told Yi Photos that the family had paid over 60,000 yuan (£6,710) to stay at an intensive care unit for 15 days, and they were struggling to pay the rest.
Xie and her husband are both farmers at their local village, but the couple have already spent all their savings for Jinjin’s medical treatment.
In a race against time to save Jinjin, Xie and her husband had to borrow 500,000 yuan (£56,000) from their friends and family in order to pay for the equipment and medication.
Miracle happened! Jinjin teared and moved her finger a bit as her mother asked for forgiveness
Doctor re-evaluated Jinjin’s condition and said it’s not the best time to switch off the machine
Xie was left puzzled as the family will have to look for funds to support Jinjin’s treatment
However, little Jinjin remained unconscious for over 300 days.
Xie came to see her daughter every day and night, waiting for her to wake up.
The doctors told Xie that it would be a long and frustrating process for Jinjin to recover from the complicated condition.
Given the financial difficulties the family was facing, on September 26 the doctors suggested the parents consider giving up treating Jinjin.
The embattled mother cried in front of her daughter: ‘Child, I’m sorry! Please forgive mummy! I don’t have a choice now…’
The couple managed to pay off a £56,000 fee by borrowing money from friends and family
But it’s uncertain how much would Jinjin’s treatment cost as she still remained in coma
As the mother talked, Jinjin’s finger moved a bit and tears could be seen running down along her cheeks.
This was the first time Jinjin gave hope to her parents.
Xie was astonished and believed that it was a sign that her daughter was telling her she was still alive.
Upon a check-up on Jinjin, the mother was told that Jinjin’s condition was unstable. As such, the doctors said they could not switch off the life-support machine at that moment.
Though Jinjin was fighting for her life in her ward, her parents were facing a huge financial burden if they were to continue treating the child.