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January 30, 2015

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Home » Metro » Health and Science

Surgery for brain-damaged boy at center of mercy killing plea

A TODDLER with severe brain damage whose parents had asked for him to be allowed to die will today undergo surgery at a Shanghai children’s hospital.

Charity organizations rallied round when they heard of the 18-month-old boy’s plight.

Xiong Junyi, from neighboring Anhui Province, suffered multiple injuries last month after becoming stuck in a conveyer belt at the delivery company where his father worked in Lu’an, Anhui.

Injuries included brain damage due to a lack of oxygen when he was trapped, a fractured arm and damage to his chest.

Doctors from the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University said today’s surgery is to reduce pressure in the child’s brain by draining fluid.

However he will need long-time rehabilitation and treatment, they added.

Xiong was in hospital for more than a month in Anhui after the accident.

After he was discharged, he couldn’t move or talk and couldn’t swallow or breath without assistance.

Doctors have said there is little chance he will fully recover due to brain damage sustained.

Dr Li Hao, director of the Fudan children’s hospital’s neurosurgery department, said the boy was conscious on arriving at the hospital this week.

“He showed certain reactions when we talked to him,” Li said. “So there’s is still a glimmer of hope.

“However, the surgery is risky and the follow-up rehabilitation needs time, energy and money,” cautioned Li.

“We can’t promise how well he can recover. The best result would be that he can take care of himself in the future.”

Xiong’s story attracted the attention of the media and charities this month after his parents went to doctors and the civil affairs bureau in Anhui asking them to end the boy’s life.

The request was refused as euthanasia is illegal in China.

But the civil affairs bureau said it would help cover his medical bills and charities arranged for surgery in Shanghai.

The boy’s father, Xiong Zhengqing, told Shanghai Daily that he is positive about the treatment and will look for a job in Shanghai during his son’s stay.

“The thought of euthanasia came about because we could see no solution and couldn’t bear to see our son suffer every day,” he said.

“This hospital is one of the best in the country and we will work with doctors in any way we can to help our boy.”




 

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