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Chinese mother marches to save son's life

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-04 21:37

WUHAN: A 55-year-old woman in central China marched 10 kilometers every day for seven months to lose weight and save the life of her son.

Chen Yurong walked more than 2,000 km in total after being told her 31-year-old son, Ye Haibin, needed a liver transplant -- but her liver was not suitable because it had accumulated too much fat, doctors told her in February.

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In an effort to get her liver into shape, Chen marched along a dyke near her home in Jiang'an District, Hubei Province, everyday. She also went on a diet, only eating rice and vegetables. She eventually lost 8 kg.

On Oct. 19, doctors said her liver had reached the standard for the transplant.

In a 14-hour operation at the Tongji Hospital under Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, the provincial capital, on Tuesday, Chen gave part of her liver to her son.

Chen had decided in December last year to donate her liver to her son, who for 18 years had suffered Wilson's disease, a genetic disorder caused by accumulation of excessive amounts of copper in the body that can lead to liver degeneration.

"The operation went smoothly," said surgeon Chen Xiaoping, an organ transplant expert. "We left part of Ye's liver, which will function together with the transplanted part.

"Theoretically speaking, Ye's life can be prolonged for a long time," he said. "She is a great mother."

Chen and her son are both described as in a stable condition in hospital. The hospital decided to waive all its fees for the operation.