A mother who took her seriously injured baby home from hospital three times after she decided medical treatment had to stop is being investigated over claims she was “abandoning” the child.
Fan Lifen, 35, who lives in Xuanwei in southwest China’s Yunnan Province with her husband and three children, maintains her youngest son would have a tormented existence if he survived injuries sustained in a fire.
However, Xiaoxiwangzhijia (Small Hope Home), a Shanghai-based organization dedicated to juvenile protection, says she should not be allowed to decide his fate.
A fire broke out at Fan’s home on September 10. She heard her 3-year-old son shouting and rushed downstairs to find Yaoyao, her youngest child, engulfed in flames, ThePaper.cn reported yesterday.
Fan believes the fire was caused by a mobile phone exploding.
Yaoyao, who is just 12 months old, was rushed to hospital, where doctors said he could die at any time. He had suffered horrendous facial injuries and burns over half of his body.
After three days of treatment, Fan and her husband decided to take him home.
Against all odds, the boy then showed signs of recovery and a local man persuaded Fan to take him back to hospital, giving her more than 30,000 yuan (US$4,844) toward his treatment.
Again Fan was told the boy’s condition was critical and he could die at any moment. After two weeks, Yaoyao’s wounds and digestive system were found to be infected.
Two organizations, Xiaoxiwangzhijia and 9985, which provides help for seriously injured and sick children, got involved when the boy’s story was told online and began raising money for the boy’s treatment.
However, Yaoyao’s situation got worse and he stopped eating after skin graft surgery.
More surgery was needed, but his parents decided that he should be cared for at home as “a peaceful leave is a mercy for him.”
The decision angered volunteers at Xiaoxiwangzhijia. They alerted the police, but no action was taken.
Since then, Fan and her husband have been receiving abusive messages accusing her of being an “evil woman” and a “malicious mother.”
Under great pressure, Fan took Yaoyao to Kunming for medical treatment in late October. But after a month, there was no improvement.
On December 8, Fan took him home for a third time.
Fan said she did not regret her decision.
She said the boy would need painful skin graft surgery every year until he was 16 if he survived.
Chen Lan, founder of Xiaoxiwangzhijia, promised to provide money for the family, but Fan has other concerns.
“If he survives, he is still in pain, just look at his hands, feet and disfigured face, and he may lose his eyesight and his skull could not be repaired. For those who help him now, have they ever thought about Yaoyao’s future?” Fan, said.
Chen said: “The most important thing is the boy lives, and parents should not decide the fate of children.”
Chen said the couple were guilty of abandoning the child and the organization had raised the issue with the Yunnan Province Procuratorate, which is investigating.
