The Value of Life

TUMOUR WEIGHING 5KG REMOVED

(January 7, 2008) On 24^th July 2007, Huang Chuncai, the China’s elephant man had his first operation to remove part of his crippling tumours drooping from his head and face at Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital, China. It was a complicated but successful operation. The wound from the operation healed well.

The Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital, after a thorough examination on Huang’s conditions, had decided to perform the second surgery on 7^th January, 2008 morning. The whole process of the operation which lasted four hours was witnessed by this reporter.

“After this operation, can you please bring me to tour Guangzhou and see the beautiful world around?” Huang asked this reporter before being wheeled into the operation theater. After receiving an affirmation, Huang happily closed his eyes while anesthetic was being administered.

The operation began at 8:30 a.m. Mdm. Ho Poh Hua, Huang’s mother and the rest of her family were waiting anxiously outside the operation theater. After a four hours operation, a massive tumour weighing 5kg was removed successfully. According to Dr. Niu Lizhi, the chief surgeon, the amount of blood lost during this operation was much more than that of the first operation when a tumour of 12.5 kg was removed. This was because the surface area of the wound resulting from the operation was twice as big.

According to the head of the hospital, Professor Xu Kecheng, the second operation incurred much greater risk than the first one as it covered a bigger surface area. Besides the challenge of stanching hemorrhaging, there were other challenges facing the medical team.

“The tumours have completely covered the ears. We have to take into consideration the reconstruction of his ears after the operation and we cannot seal them off completely as any secretion from the ears would back-flow into the brain and this would be fatal.” Professor Xu explained.

This reporter was made to understand that, after this operation, Huang would be able to walk properly and lead a normal life. But for him to have a face of a normal person, he would require no less than four plastic surgeries of the face.

Huang’s condition has been the focus of attention around the world. A reporter from the Reuters revealed that their news reports on Huang’s case received six hundred million hits, the highest hit for 2007. According to Professor Xu, a Medical Research Centre of the USA had specially set up a study on Huang’s neurofibromatosis and it’s hereditary. The centre would conduct detailed analysis of the blood from the Huang’s family for genetics and hereditability studies. The China National Genetic Engineering (Shanghai) Research Centre is responsible for the collection of genetic specimens at the national level, has also collected specimens for further studies purposes. These would help to build up a strong base for the early detection, diagnosis and treatments of the disease.

Professor Xu also disclosed that the managing director of the Shanghai Doer Management Group, Mr. Wilson Lim, who is a prominent businessman from Taiwan, and Madam Law Lee Poh, managing director of Excellence Medical Information Centre, Malaysia had shown great cares and concerns on Huang’s sickness, its treatments and progress. They had organized fund raising campaigns and collected donations of about RMB200000.00 Yuan. They had also promised to raise more funds for Huang’s future medical expenses.

It is understood that the September Film Production Company of England is now filming a documentary on Huang. Upon completion, the film will be broadcaster over various media in England. As the first media to report on Huang’s predicament that had caught the attention of the medical world, this paper had been invited to participate in the production of the film, too.