On 11th Jun, 2003, the Yangcheng Evening Newspaper issued a piece of news with picture at its key news section. The title was “Mingzi goes to school without worrying about the fee”. On the picture there is a nice boy, who prepares to go to school in high spirits with his school bag. The news said, “last night, the recovery boy again received a surprising present that the capital of Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, Prof. Kecheng Xu, promised that his hospital would pay the tuition for Mingzi from his primary to his university. With the help of all works in hospital, Mingzi recovered soon after the operation for his mega tumor.”

Two days later, a “true love in the world” special program appeared on the headlines of the science news of the China South TV. It said, a 8-year old child, once diagnosed with a mortal disease—maligant teratoma, is completely recovery after the treatment in Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, he will attend school this September.

The exciting news made the journalist He of the “Health Newspaper”, also one of the authors of this book, visit Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou. He interviewed Mingzi’s parents, and the medical providers, met Mingzi himself, and wrote down more behind it……

The mega tumor child seeks help from news agency

On Nov 22nd, 2001, the headline of the Yangcheng Evening Newspaper by journalist Qu and intern Li was about “who is willing to support Mingzi to remove his mega tumor”. It wrote, three special guests came to our agency this morning, a young couple from Huaiji country of Guangzhou, and their child, a 6-year old boy with a mega tumor under his mandibular. They recounted their bad experience helplessly to us:

“Peiwen Cheng, 26 years old, is farm. In 1995, he married a girl, Jingjuan Huang, from Guangxi, and had their son Zhiming Cheng (also called Mingzi) later. Soon the couple determined to seek a job in Shunde in order to improve the poor life and let their old parents take care of Mingzi.”

“Last October, Cheng received a call from his father who said that a tumor had appeared on Mingzi’s low jaw unconsciously, without pain or itch. The couple returned home, finding that the tumor had grown up to the size of an egg of quail. When they were at a lo immediately ss, the neighbors told them the ‘truth’------
Some days ago, a fane was build up in the village, Mingzi were playing there too. Maybe he offended the God. Thus the tumor was a kind of punishment. What’s more, Mingzi will loss his life until his parents burn incense and worship the Buddha.

With low educational background, the couple began to seek the God’s help all around, and made Mingzi drink the holly water to disperse the disease. However, Mingzi’s condition didn’t turn good at all after several months, while the tumor became the size of an egg. The couple were aware of the severe at that time. So they went to see doctors everywhere. At last, Mingzi’s disease was diagnosed as hemangioma by experts of one hospital in Guangzhou. They were informed it could be removed by surgery, but there was a high risk and it will need about 50 000 to 60 000 RMB.

Compared with the average 6-year old boy, Mingzi is very thin and small now. The tumor, as large as his head, makes his body slope forward when he walks. It’s very strenuous for him to drink because his teeth can’t be gathered and the teeth on the mandible are lose. His mother says sadly, dairy intake for him is very uneasy. It takes about 1 hour for him to have half bowl meal. His body weight decrease from 19 kg to 15 kg.

His father says, formerly Mingzi was very lovely and active, but now he becomes no words and keeps him home. Once he told me he even couldn’t hear what himself says.
“Help the helpless Mingzi’s family, relieve Mingzi’s pain.”

Love ship sets off at once

The news was known by Prof Xu, President of Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, that afternoon. He soon held a meeting with the medical providers to arrange a ward for Mingzi, then he contacted with Yangcheng Evening Newspaper, expressing that they hoped to treat Mingzi. The editor Peng helped to look for the family, unfortunately, they had returned home. Prof Xu decided at once to send an ambulance to pick up Mingzi from his hometown.

Four people started off at 4:20pm, director Fan from the medical department, nurse Lian and journalist Liu from the Yangcheng Evening Newspaper. It’s dark when they passed Zhaoqing, they headed for west continually. The road condition became worse and the bumped car made them nearly vomit. At 10pm, they arrived at Huaiji. They telephoned Mingzi’s neighbor and Mingzi’s parents were extremely surprising at the visit. They came to Huaiji from their hometown at 12pm. Upon seeing the doctors waiting beside the ambulance, the couple never being treated like this, couldn’t say anything, with tears pouring.

At the same time, Prof Xu, office directors and experts were waiting at the hospital. At 3:30am the following day, the ambulance was back, when Mingzi was took to the ward, everyone was astonished—what a seriously sick boy he was! He looked like only 4 years old with indifferent expression, low weak voice and pale face. He couldn’t stand steadily and sit straightly either. He had deep eye socket, shiningless eyes, thin cheek and closed mouth. His teeth were losse and rare with a tumor protruding from the bottom of his oral cavity. The tumor also covered his neck with thin skin and clear subcutaneous vascular. It’s fixed, up to the low jaw, and down to the chest making him breath fast and a 140 per min heart rate.

In the morning, Mingzi undertook the detailed examination, including: X-ray, CT, MRI, and biopsy by tumor puncture.

In the afternoon, the report of X-ray and CT wrote: the teeth bed and the low jaw have been destroyed. They are skin, hair sac tissue and some scattered teeth in the tumor. Enormous malignant cells are found by the mircroscope.

According to above data, the diagnosis was definite: malignant teratoma.

Teratoma is a kind of tumor originating from the vagus tissue in the stage of embryo.

During the development of the embryo, some tissues can migrate, and unite to grow without order, with skin, fur and so on inside. So it’s called teratoma. If it transforms malignantly, it’s called malignant teratoma. About 10 people in 10 000 can develop teratoma, one of which maybe malignant. It often occurs at abdomen and chest cavity, rare on the neck.

Unconvetional therapies raise hope

On the afternoon of Nov 24th, 2001, experts from all big hospitals in Guangzhou came to Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, consulting on Mingzi’s disease. They carefully examined him: read X-ray, CT and MRI, and diagnosed it as “malignant teratoma” unanimously. Then they discussed on the treatment seriously, suggested many therapies and finally came to the conclusion: only operation was the radical metnod for the tumor, but it was contraindicated at that time, because:

1. At least 5 000 ml blood would be lost during the operation, while the total blood volume of Mingzi was only about 800 ml. That was, the blood needed for transfusion could change his blood six times.

2. The tumor, invading the bottom of his oral cavity, made Mingzi unable to open mouth, which led to failure of trachea intubation. Either, trachectomy was impossible for the tumor covered on the neck. As a result, anesthesia couldn’t be conducted, without which the operation was difficult.

3. All the barriers list above removed, the operation could only be completed by at lest three steps: first, cut the tumor; then repair the oral cavity bottom with leg bones two to three months later; last, half a year later, a plastic surgery was needed. The total fee would be no less than 100 000 RMB.

4. If the operation was done, the expectancy would not exceed three months due to its malignance and the child’s bad nutrition. Thus, the boy would die before the operation was completed. It’s not worth carrying on.

Prof Xu landed himself in a predicament: sending the child back, which meant not only killing him, but also hurnting his parents. How can we do that? The news on the Yangcheng Evening Newspaper had called on the society: all the medical professionals in the hospital had contributed money to Mingzi for several times; an entrepreneur from Hongkong sent his donation anonymously; many people showed their concern about Mingzi. How should we answer for the society’s attention.

Weren’t there any other therapies besides operation? The conventional way couldn’t help, what are the unconventional ones?

Again Prof Xu discussed with the experts about the treatment, they reached an agreement on vascular-intervational therapy first, which can block the blood supple for tumor, starving the tumor to death.

However, the vascular-intervational therapy needs puncture skin, can the boy ensure the operation without anesthesia. The catheter should be advanced into the tumor’s vascular, which is enbranched from the carotid artery. The carotid is close to intercranial artery. Once the tube was placed the brain artery or the medicine was injected into the brain, it would cause severe brain damage. Who will be responsible for it?
Prof Xu, who had 38 years’ experience for medical practice, couldn’t think it anymore. On the fifth night of Mingzi’s hospitalization, Prof Xu came to his single word, finding that his parents crying to each other before him, and MIngzi said with great efforts, “save me, grandfather Xu!” Prof Xu couldn’t help shedding tears, he harried to his office, told vice-president and directors that, “we will try our best to conduct the intervention tomorrow afternoon, I’ll bear the risk.”, and:
1. ask nurse Lian to accompany Mingzi around the clock to build up affection immediately in order to make him corporate during operation.
Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital Guangzhou

The mega tumor child becomes a hopeful boy In June.2003, one year after mingzai's therapy, the medical providers in the Fuda Tumor Hospital again mentioned him, he was 7 years old and ought to attend school, could his family dupport him? On 8th.June, nurse Lian telephoned his parents to know the situation, they were too excited for the call to sleep that night. The following day mingzai came to Guangzhou. Now he was a "famous" guy in the hospital, anyone who met him liked to give him a hug. He was taller and the tumor couldn't be identified, only a little scar on the right of his low jaw. Black and more naughty, he visited the wards upon arriving. Many patients, who had seed him in the newspaper before, couldn't believe what they saw now. In the evening, nurse Lian bought him a new schoolbag and new clothes. On the evening of 10th.June, a meeting entitled "recovered Chengmingzhi receieving fee support ceremony" was held in the hospital. Dean xu confered the certification to mingzai, and promised that the hospital would support him to attend school until his graduation from college. Mingzai , a boy from the poor village, won a victory against the tumor under the assistant of the society. Being a hopeful child of a hospital, he began his new life journey from now on.