Dejie’s Story
They are a normal family, two parents and a small child. They might remind you of a family involved in your church, community, or school. But something about them is different. This family lives on a small farm in Inner Mongolia and is facing a tragedy too many around the world experience – their 7 year old has cancer and will die if his parents cannot find the money for treatment.
This little boy’s name is Dejie, and he has been diagnosed with leukemia. His mother, Yang Deyin, has been living in the waiting room of the Beijing Children’s Hospital to save money on lodgings after making a 300 mile bus trip to the city. Dejie’s father, Cui Guangshun, stayed at their home to harvest and sell their crop to pay for medical treatment and to raise financial support from their relatives and neighbors in their village.
Doctors said initially that Dejie’s leukemia is highly treatable, but his parents would have to take him home to die if they could not raise enough money to pay the hospital fees. China’s health care system operates on a pay-as-you-go basis. If patients do not produce enough cash, they will not receive treatment.
The hospital fees for Dejie are estimated at $18,500 for the initial 6 ½ month course of treatment. Dejie’s parents have an annual income of $350. Like Dejie’s parents, two-thirds of China’s population does not have health care. Many families save as much as 40% of their income to pay for health care alone. Most of this money goes to medical drugs, which are often over prescribed by doctors looking to bolster hospital revenues.
Dejie’s relatives describe him as a good student who loved staying indoors. His father hopes that someday Dejie will be able to go to college. The family received no support from the local Communist Party secretary near his village who told him that, “People die every day in China.” The doctors in Beijing told him, “If you have the money the child can live, if not, he will die.”
At 38, Dejie’s father is financially ruined. His debt already exceeds $4,000, an amount that is more than ten years of his income.
The situation is now desperate. Dejie’s father has left their small home and is in Beijing. Dejie is mid-way through his second round of treatment, but his parents have checked him out of the hospital to save money. They hope to return to the hospital soon to finish the second round of chemotherapy, but now they will have to wait in line because there are no beds available.
What Can We Do?
Even reading Dejie’s story cannot truly help us know what it is like to watch our child will die because we cannot raise enough money to keep him alive. We do not know what it is like to live in a small hut and have an annual income of $350. But we can help.
This holiday season, we will remember the blessings we have and share them with Dejie’s family. On behalf of its employees, Eenhoorn will be making a donation to Dejie’s family to help offset his medical costs. We have the opportunity to give so much more than a Christmas gift; we can help save Dejie’s life.
Donations for Dejie will go to the American Education and Health Foundation, a Beijing-based organization that provides health care for underprivileged children in China. The foundation will review the hospital ’s procedures to assure they are in Dejie’s interests. If the foundation determines that donations exceed Dejie’s needs, it said it will use excess contributions to pay for the medical care of similarly disadvantaged children in China.