Ms. Wang Tongyu told the reporter that now they are only waiting for the approval of fair and necessary procedures, and then her son can undergo a kidney transplant surgery. But, with such an expensive surgery cost, where will they raise the money?
Ms. Wang Tongyu initially did not understand what uremia was. "I had never heard of this disease before, thinking it was just a minor illness. My son also thought it wasn't a big deal until the doctor told me his condition required a kidney transplant. Only then did we realize the severity of the situation."
After two days of waiting, the hospital informed Ms. Wang Tongyu that she was a match for her son, and all indicators reached the surgical standards. She could donate her kidney to her son, but the donation required approval from the provincial authorities, so the surgery could not be performed immediately.
At first, the family did not expect Mr. Zhu Liangliang's condition to become increasingly serious. Until July 2010, due to demolition, Mr. Zhu closed his restaurant. Unwilling to stay idle at home, Mr. Zhu found a job in Rizhao. "His health was poor, and I opposed him going to Rizhao, but he wouldn't listen. He was determined to earn money to support the family," Ms. Wang Tongyu said. Due to fewer income earners and more mouths to feed, her son only thought about making money to provide a good life for the whole family, unaware that his body had been exhausted.
Ms. Wang Tongyu's daughter-in-law, Ms. Wang Weinan, told the reporter, "When my mother-in-law learned that a kidney transplant could cure my husband's disease, she immediately decided to donate one of her kidneys to my husband."
After a fall injury, Mr. Ji Lianyu lost control of his bladder and bowel. As a daughter-in-law, Ms. Geng Xiaojun took care of him meticulously, cleaning up after him and washing the bedding. For many years, Mr. Ji's bed remained clean and tidy, the room free of any unpleasant odor, and his body never developed any rash.
■ Matching successful, hoping the surgery succeeds
For decades, Ms. Geng Xiaojun's family had a habit when eating chicken: they never chopped both chicken thighs, always leaving them intact for her mother-in-law to eat easily. This made her new daughter-in-law curious, who secretly asked her husband why. Her husband quietly told her, "That's something our mom specially prepares for grandma, leaving them intact so grandma can take them easily." Since then, the daughter-in-law Wei Yunling also started reserving both chicken thighs for her grandmother.
The story of Ms. Geng Xiaojun moved and influenced many people. Her daughter-in-law Wei Yunling once told her, "Mom, I will treat you as well as you treat the elders!" The boss of the Pingyi Qiwie Canned Food Factory, upon learning about Ms. Geng Xiaojun's deeds, gave her 1000 yuan to show respect for her parents.
In the summer of 1976, Ms. Geng Xiaojun married into the Ji family in He Wan Village from Shi Gu Zhuang Village in Pingyi Town. Because her mother-in-law suffered from coronary heart disease and needed long-term medication, Ms. Geng Xiaojun took on all the household chores and fieldwork.
Ms. Geng Xiaojun has five siblings, and she is the eldest. Despite being married, she still lived frugally and actively shouldered the tuition and living expenses of her three younger brothers.
In recent years, Ms. Geng Xiaojun has been repeatedly awarded as a model housewife in the county, and her family has been named a ten-star cultural household and a five-good civilized family in the county. On March 3rd of this year, Ms. Geng Xiaojun was again honored by the city's Women's Federation as one of the "Top Ten Filial Piety Children in Linyi City".
Last April, Ms. Geng Xiaojun's critically ill second brother wanted to build a house for his young son before he passed away. Ms. Geng Xiaojun voluntarily took on this responsibility. At that time, she had just finished building a new house for her son and already owed tens of thousands of yuan in debt. However, her brother had spent all his savings on treatment. What to do? Ms. Geng Xiaojun began borrowing money from relatives and friends. Under her management, her brother's family finally built a new house.
On February 17, 2011, Ms. Wang Tongyu brought her son to the General Hospital of the Jinan Military Region for renal source compatibility testing. Being illiterate and having never traveled far, she not only had to take care of her son but also carry four bags of peritoneal dialysis fluid for him, each bag weighing nearly 5 pounds.
"The test results came out very slowly. We stayed in Jinan for two nights, and my son ran out of medicine. Watching him struggle to breathe at night broke my heart as a mother. He even consoled me not to worry," Ms. Wang Tongyu said, tears streaming down her face.
Currently, Mr. Zhu Liangliang undergoes peritoneal dialysis at home every day. The doctor recommended six bags daily for better maintenance of his health, but due to financial constraints, Mr. Zhu's daily dosage is far below the doctor's recommendation. "One bag of dialysis fluid costs 40 yuan, and he only gets three bags a day. Sometimes during the night, he struggles to breathe and feels suffocated, so we give him an extra bag," Ms. Wang Tongyu said.
A kidney transplant requires an expensive surgical fee, which makes Ms. Wang Tongyu more aware that her son has a serious disease. "If a kidney transplant can save my son, then I will give him one of my kidneys!"
In 1982, her father-in-law Ji Lianyu suffered from cerebral vascular obstruction leading to hemiplegia, and the responsibility of taking care of him fell on her shoulders. Washing his face, serving water, and wiping his body were difficult tasks for her, and she shed countless tears behind closed doors. When she confided in her mother during a visit to her hometown, her mother said, "Xiaojun, if you treat your father-in-law as your own father, you won't feel awkward." Her mother's words illuminated her heart, enabling her to take even better care of her father-in-law.
Her filial piety earned praise from her in-laws, and her mother-in-law often held her hand and said, "You are my daughter; even my own daughter couldn't have done better!"
Ms. Geng Xiaojun's actions also influenced her children. Once, she bought two oranges from the market. Her son Ji Guangli drooled at the sight of them, and a neighbor criticized her, saying, "Why are you so heartless, not letting your child eat?" Before Ms. Geng Xiaojun could respond, little Guangli interjected, "I don't want to eat; they're for my grandma!" After her grandfather passed away, little Guangli feared his grandma would be scared sleeping alone and stayed with her until he graduated from junior high school.
Now, Ms. Geng Xiaojun's grandson is in elementary school. With both her son and daughter-in-law working, she has to pick up and drop off her grandson to and from school, adding to her responsibilities. Some people advised Ms. Geng Xiaojun, "You're so old, let your brothers take care of your parents. Why go every day?" But she replied, "Their filial piety is their business, but mine is my sentiment!"
However, even with a successful match, the exorbitant cost of the kidney transplant still remains a significant hurdle for Ms. Wang Tongyu. Ms. Wang Tongyu told the reporter that since her son was diagnosed with uremia, she had borrowed over 80,000 yuan from relatives and friends. Now, the kidney transplant alone costs over 200,000 yuan, and the post-surgery medication expenses are also a considerable amount.
In 1990, her father-in-law passed away. Seeing her grieving mother-in-law, Ms. Geng Xiaojun said, "Mom, don't worry, I'll take good care of you." She kept her promise, and among the elderly in her village, Ms. Geng Xiaojun's mother-in-law always ate the best food and wore the warmest clothes. In December 2010, her 90-year-old mother-in-law passed away in gratitude and regret.
After her father-in-law's death, Ms. Geng Xiaojun took care of her mother-in-law every day and, whenever she had time, rode her bike six kilometers to visit her mother and her father suffering from cerebellar atrophy, keeping them company, washing their bedding, and ensuring everything was in order before heading back home.
"My mother's legs were weak, and later she had trouble walking, requiring treatment at the county hospital. After discharge, her legs were bruised, so I spent half an hour every evening applying traditional Chinese medicine to her legs and massaging them. Under my careful care, my mother's legs eventually healed. My mother, who was not good at expressing herself, sighed and said, 'They say a married daughter is like spilled water, but our Xiaojun is still the pillar of our family.'"
"Brothers: Repaying Sister's Favor in the Next Life"
"Last August, my second brother, on his deathbed, pulled my hand and said, 'Sister, I cannot repay you in this life. Let me repay you in the next!'"