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Teen offers marrow to save Mom
(Shenzhen Daily)
Updated: 2004-05-10 08:59 When most kids his age are
overwhelmed with parental love, Chao Zai, 13, has taken on the burden of caring
for his mother who has leukemia.
"I have only one mother," he sobbed, "and I would save my mom's life with my
own marrow if I could."
At first glance, the well-tanned boy looks just like any other lively kid in
the Haizhu District neighborhood in Guangzhou. Once he started to talk about his
mother's condition, however, his face saddened.
"I couldn't do anything to help my mom, when I peeped into her room and saw
her give herself shots of interferon", the boy said.
The mother, Li Haizhen, who was laid off from work in 2001, was diagnosed
with leukemia two years ago. The news dealt a shocking blow to the family which
was already in need. According to a relative, the family of three is now
surviving on the father's meager salary of 790 yuan a month (about 65 US
dollars).
Before his mother became ill, the boy said he could occasionally go to
Macdonald's. In China, this is usually a luxury for boys from lower-income
families. "But I'll never go there anymore," the boy said, shaking his head
sadly, "I'll save every coin for my mom."
The medical fees have become a terrible burden for the family. It has cost
them all their savings and left them deeply in debt.
The father, striving to earn bread for the family and medical fees for his
wife, is seldom able to go home.
The boy thought of offering his own marrow when he first heard doctors were
looking for a suitable marrow donor. "At first, I was a little scared by the
thought, but she's the only mother in my life. I'm more than willing to give her
my marrow." But Li rejected her son's offer saying he was too young.
This year, there was finally some good news for the family. Li's sister, 50,
has been found to be a suitable marrow donor, and the local Family Health
Association has started to help the family with donations and medical
services.
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