A photoset of a sobbing single mother who had been discharged from a Chinese hospital after she could no longer afford care for her sick child has gone viral for its heartbreaking vulnerability and emotion.
The scene outside Shanghai’s Children Hospital was first captured in December last year, but is going viral again on Chinese social media platforms.
The mother in the photos, 45-year-old Guo Yinzhen, has been a single parent since her divorce several years ago. She has been the sole caretaker of her son, three-year-old Guo Zhenghan, in a village in Datian county, Fujian province.
Yinzhen was a factory worker but lost her job after giving birth to Zhenghan. The mother and son have been supported by her parents, who pluck tea leaves for a living.
As it turned out, Yinzhen needed around 100,000 yuan (over $15,000) for further treatment, but the family was already overburdened with debts amounting to $47,000.
Overall, they have spent at least 400,000 yuan (over $60,000) for Zhenghan’s treatment, which included three surgeries and previous hospitalizations.
According to What’s on Weibo, government-subsidized rural medical insurance is not applicable in a different province, so patients like Zhenghan must shoulder their own expenses when traveling for treatment.
Fortunately, their photos taken on December 1 immediately went viral, and by December 5, they were back in Shanghai with the help of the Xiaoxingxin Foundation. Through their assistance, Zhenghan was able to undergo another necessary operation.
Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.
Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.
We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.