Zhang Jun Chao, who will be 2 years old in 4 months, has his left foot wrapped in a thick plaster cast. Photo by South Urban Daily reporter Huang Ji Hao. According to the South Urban Daily report by reporter Xue Bing Ni and intern Lin Hong Hai, if it were not for the plight of his young son, Fujian farmer Zhang He Bao would have never left his small town. In Guangzhou, his nearly 2-year-old son was diagnosed with congenital leg length discrepancy, a disease with an incidence rate of only one in ten thousand that led to his symptoms. It is reported that the current medical level in China has a cure rate of less than 30%, and in the worst-case scenario, amputation may be necessary. This impoverished father also suffers from congenital neurofibromatosis, and his wife is deaf. Yesterday, he frankly stated that if his young son could be cured, he would sell his house to seek medical treatment.
With a cure rate of less than 30% in domestic medicine, at the orthopedics department of the Baiyun branch of the Second Provincial Chinese Medicine Hospital in Guangdong Province, Zhang Jun Chao's right foot is wrapped in thick plaster just 4 months before his second birthday as he plays with a baby bottle and mobile phone. Father Zhang He Bao introduced that his family are farmers from Shibi Village, Ninghua Stone Wall Town, Sanming City, Fujian Province. Four months after his son’s birth, while giving him a bath, he accidentally discovered that his son's legs were of unequal length. Afterwards, after seeking medical attention at a local hospital in Fujian, the doctor removed part of the child's bent tibia, but the bone did not continue to grow, leading to more complex conditions. After being referred by friends, they transferred to this hospital in Guangzhou.
Director Zhang Xiao of the Orthopedics Department at the Baiyun branch of the Second Provincial Chinese Medicine Hospital in Guangdong Province explained that Zhang Jun Chao suffers from congenital fibrous dysplasia of the tibia and fibula with pseudarthrosis of the tibia and fibula. Due to the congenital curvature of the tibia in the lower leg, a false joint formed, which directly resulted in the difference in leg lengths. The incidence of this disease is only one in ten thousand, and previously, there have been only two or three similar cases encountered. According to the current medical level in China, the cure rate is still less than 30%.
He said that Zhang Jun Chao has already completed the first phase of surgery, and subsequent surgeries will depend on the development of his condition. In the worst-case scenario, amputation may be necessary, meaning that he would need to use a prosthetic limb in the future. "The prognosis of the surgery is not optimistic because the child is still growing, the entire surgical cycle is relatively long, and it will take two to three years to determine whether he has fully recovered. The estimated total cost of the surgery is around 100,000 yuan."
"Planning to sell the house to treat the child"
For this farming family, an expenditure of 100,000 yuan is almost a devastating blow. However, this farmer with only a junior high school education still holds strong hope for his son's condition. "If he can be cured, I plan to sell the house and do everything possible to treat the child."
Zhang He Bao told the South Urban Daily that he also suffers from congenital neurofibromatosis, with tumors of varying sizes all over his body. He is a farmer, and his wife is also a patient with hearing loss. Since bringing the child out for treatment on the 19th day of the first lunar month this year, after half a year of treatment, they have already accumulated debts of more than 40,000 yuan, and the farmland at home has been abandoned." He said, besides the money owed for treating his son, they had already incurred debts of 180,000 yuan for building the house, and the money he earns from farming each year is only about 4,000 yuan.
Facing an uncertain future for his son, Zhang He Bao sighed, "As long as there is still some hope for the child, we will do our utmost to treat him. If the surgery can cure his 'unequal legs', I will sell the house, and the whole family will rent a place to live." Share to: Welcome to post comments. I want to comment. Weibo recommendation | Today's Weibo hot topics (Editor: SN026)