Mother can only donate a kidney to save one of her two sons dying of kidney failure

[Clark]

http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/mother-can-only-save-one-her-two-sons-dying-kidney-failure

Mother can only save one of her two sons dying of kidney failure

A mother in China was forced to choose between her two sons - who both needed a kidney to survive.

However, Lian Ronghua can only donate one kidney and her elder son sacrificed himself to save his younger sibling.

According to The Daily Mail, the brothers, Li Haiqing, 26 and Li Haisong, 24, suffered from uremia.

Uremia is a condition that gradually leads to kidney failure. A kidney transplant is the only hope of a cure.

The elder brother urged his mother to save his sibling, saying: 'We will save little brother first.'

The transplant operation cost the family several thousand yuan, and the young men's father Li Xiukai said they might not be able to afford a second operation even if a suitable donor is found for Haiqing.

The entire family had moved from Fujian to Xiamen last year so that Haiqing could receive dialysis treatment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Haisong underwent the same procedure on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

A medical test revealed that their 51-year-old mother was a suitable kidney donor for both brothers, but she could only donate one organ.

Their father was ruled out because of high blood pressure.

The family reportedly argued repeatedly over the difficult choice of who should receive the organ, with each of the two siblings insisting that the other one receive it.

They took a vote and chose the younger brother.

The People's Daily reported that Lian Ronghua wept before the operation, saying: 'I only have one kidney and I can only save one son. No matter who I give it to, it's unfair.'

Haiqing, an aspiring doctor at Sichuan North University Medical School who was forced to abandon his studies when he became unwell, told his mother: 'Don't cry. We have already agreed, we will save Haisong first. He is a graduate, he can find a good job easier.'

Doctors spent eight hours carrying out the kidney transplant while Haiqing and his father waited outside the operating theatre.

After the successful surgery, Haiqing said: 'It's ok. We just need to wait for another kidney donor,' before he returned to Xiamen for his own dialysis treatment.