Zhang Long, who hails from a rural family in Meixian County, started working at a local coal mine right after graduating from junior high school. His life was ordinary but stable. In 1993, when the mine closed down and he lost his job, he moved to Shenzhen to make a living. After much difficulty, he finally secured a position in the cafeteria of a hotel as kitchen help, where he worked for over ten years with a monthly income of about 1000 yuan to support his family.
One of the participants in the "solicitation" campaign - netizen "Bingchen" - responded. "Bingchen" hopes that people focus not on their actions but on Cai Yanmei, who is waiting for treatment. Local netizens from Maoming also agree with this view, believing that now is not the time to discuss whether or not the method of seeking help is correct, but how to help those in need.
Netizens from Zhuhai and Shenzhen visited Cai Yanmei in the hospital. Zhang Long has elderly parents and three children still in school, including his eldest daughter who is in her second year of university and owes 20,000 yuan in tuition fees. The financial difficulties have troubled Zhang Long endlessly, even leading his wife to look down on him, constantly criticizing him for being incapable. "Under great pressure, I've had suicidal thoughts multiple times. I'm afraid one day I'll suddenly leave this world, so I want to donate a kidney; first, to leave some money for my family, and second, to do something good."
Currently, facing a funding gap of more than 100,000 yuan, the Cai family feels helpless and can only hope that the alumni association of Dan Chang Middle School will initiate fundraising efforts, though no action has been taken yet.
Moreover, a reader from Meixian called our newspaper requesting to donate a kidney, revealing a story of frustration and bitterness among the first generation of migrant workers who are middle-aged and unemployed, trying to survive back home.
It's reported that on the day the Southern Rural Newspaper published the report, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Dianbai County also entrusted the Civil Affairs Department of Dan Chang Town to deliver 5,000 yuan in condolence funds to Cai Wu Di.
On April 13th, a new cold air mass brought rain into Guangdong, causing widespread rainfall and temperature drops across the province. That day in Guangzhou, it was drizzling and chilly. After reading the Southern Rural Newspaper report on Cai Yanmei, several netizens from Zhuhai and Shenzhen braved the rain to visit Cai Yanmei at a hospital in Guangzhou, delivering 3,450 yuan in condolence funds.
In a survey initiated by Sina.com titled "How do you view netizens holding banners urging the winner of a 12 million yuan lottery prize to donate money to save lives?", more than 10,000 netizens participated in the vote. Over 70% cast doubt on this behavior, believing it akin to forced donations with moral coercion; only 20% thought it was an act of love, calling for attention to those in need, indicating support; while approximately 6% believed it was hard to say.
The kidney source was transferred to someone else.
After learning about Zhang Long's intentions, Cai Wu Di said if Zhang Long's kidney suited his sister, he would definitely be willing to pay for it. However, since Cai Yan Mei's blood type is B and Zhang Long's is O, this well-intentioned "deal" fell through.
On the morning of April 13th, Southern Rural Newspaper reporter received a call from Zhang Long (a pseudonym) from Meixian County. He proposed donating a kidney to Cai Yan Mei. If successful, he hoped the Cai family could compensate him with several ten thousand yuan to repay debts. Zhang Long, about 50 years old, hides behind his kidney donation a bitter and heart-wrenching story of the first generation of migrant workers struggling to survive after returning home due to unemployment in middle age.
When asked by the doctor if the surgery fee had been gathered, Cai Yan Mei's father gave an affirmative answer. Although he only had 120,000 yuan, he was very worried that the hospital would give the kidney source to other patients because of his lack of funds, so he lied to the doctor.
However, before the new labor law was implemented in 2008, Zhang Long was fired from the cafeteria for one reason only - he was over 45 years old, and the cafeteria refused to sign a labor contract with him.
Currently, the Cai family still lacks more than 100,000 yuan for the surgery fee, yet they told the hospital that they had gathered the relevant costs.
Once again unemployed, Zhang Long rented a shop in Shenzhen, raised more than 10,000 yuan, and opened a fast-food restaurant. However, there were not many customers, and after barely surviving for half a year, the fast-food restaurant went bankrupt, and Zhang Long lost all his savings.
"Just as she should be a lively and healthy girl in her teenage years, she is now tormented by illness and emaciated, truly heartbreaking. We hope kind-hearted people can lend a helping hand to assist her, allowing her to escape the clutches of illness and return to school as soon as possible," Shenzhen netizen "Wangshi Ruyan" called on everyone to actively donate.
According to reports, when Cai Yan Mei was transferred to a hospital in Guangzhou, the hospital hoped to find a suitable kidney source among the members of the Cai family, but after examination, none were suitable. The Cai family could only rely on the hospital to find one. A few days ago, the hospital informed the Cai family that they had found a kidney source for Yan Mei, planning to conduct a kidney transplant surgery next week with a success rate of 90%.
"As long as the surgery hasn't started, I won't tell the hospital about the lack of funds, nor will I apply for a reduction in fees. I'm afraid that if I say anything, my daughter might not be saved," Cai's father explained.
Since transferring to a hospital in Guangzhou, Cai Yan Mei's dialysis frequency has changed from three times every two weeks to three times a week. She also eats a pack of special nutritional food daily, and her physical condition has gradually improved. "Her feet have already de-swelled, but the doctor says her current physical condition is not suitable for surgery," said Zhuhai netizen "Ah Ling" after visiting her in the hospital.
At this moment, misfortune struck Zhang Long once again. Due to a traffic accident, he must compensate the other party with a large sum of money. With empty pockets, Zhang Long could only borrow money for compensation, "People are now pressing me to repay."
Southern Rural Newspaper: An 18-year-old farmer girl from Qingwu Village, Dan Chang Town, Dianbai County, Guangdong Province, named Cai Yan Mei suffers from uremia but cannot afford treatment due to poverty. Local netizens went to the welfare lottery winning betting station to urge the winner of a 12 million yuan prize to donate money to save her life. On April 13th, after the Southern Rural Newspaper's welfare/fund-raising section reported on this incident, it caused significant repercussions and controversies in society. Several netizens from Zhuhai and Shenzhen braved the cold wind and rain to visit Cai Yan Mei in the hospital and delivered 3,450 yuan. The Civil Affairs Bureau of Dianbai County also sent 5,000 yuan in condolence funds to Cai Wu Di. However, seventy percent of netizens disapprove of the "solicitation" behavior of the loving netizens from Maoming.
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Seventy percent of netizens question "solicitation"
Zhang Long hopes that if the kidney donation is successful, the other party can compensate him with three to five ten thousand yuan for nutritional fees and loss of work. He does not consider this act as part of human organ trading.
Meanwhile, after the "solicitation" behavior of the loving netizens was reported by the Southern Rural Newspaper, media such as Chongqing Evening News, Shenzhen Commercial Daily, and Modern Express quickly reprinted the article, sparking a flood of social comments and doubts.
According to the "Human Organ Transplantation Regulations" issued by the State Council in 2007, no organization or individual may buy or sell human organs in any form, nor engage in activities related to the buying and selling of human organs. Human organ donation should follow the principles of voluntariness and free contribution. Citizens have the right to donate or not to donate their human organs; no organization or individual may force, deceive, or entice others to donate human organs. (Source: Southern Rural Newspaper Author: Xian Wei Feng)
At this time, Zhang Long wanted to return home to find a way to make a living, but upon returning, he discovered that jobs were not as easy to find as he imagined. Although there were a few acres of farmland at home, he was unwilling to farm, thinking that farming did not make money and that he hadn't farmed for over ten years. He and his wife rented a simple house in the county town, looking for jobs while driving motorcycles for hire, getting up early and staying out late every day in the streets and alleys. His wife worked odd jobs, earning less than 300 yuan a month, living a life of "one day, no another."
To repay debts, the farmer wanted to donate a kidney for money.
Unfortunately, Cai Yan Mei recently caught a cold and was unsuitable for surgery, so the hospital arranged the kidney source for other patients. When the kidney source could be found again remains unanswered by the hospital side.
Cai Yan Mei suffers from uremia, and only a kidney transplant can completely cure her. Currently, there are two ways to obtain a kidney source: one is to pay the hospital to search, and the other is voluntary donation. However, currently, the supply and demand imbalance of kidney sources in China is severe, making it not easy for Cai Yan Mei to find a suitable kidney source.
Upon hearing the news that netizens came to visit her younger sister at the hospital, Cai Wu Di, who was still in Dianbai County trying desperately to raise money everywhere, slightly relaxed and "earnestly requested" the reporter to thank these enthusiastic netizens in the report.