A 59-year-old man from the Chinese city of Chengdu, who has donated blood more than 300 times in the last 20 years and has been known as the "blood donation king," is now in need of financial assistance after he suffered an ischaemic stroke, according to The South China Morning Post. Yang Xiuwei, a Sichuan province resident, fell suddenly in late January when he went to visit a relative. His wife, Xie Suhua, took him to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cerebral infarction, also referred to as a stroke.
Even after his heroic act in donating blood to benefit society, Yang is now burdened with severe medical bills and is appealing for help from the public during his recovery. His case elicited general sympathy, with many of them commiserating with him.
"A narrowing occurred in the cerebellum, vermis, and a primary blood vessel in his brain. The stroke happened in an acute manner," a doctor stated. "He should be hospitalised for observation for 10 to 14 days."
Yang Xiuwei's wife, Xie, told SCMP that Yang works as a cleaner, while she does not have stable employment. Together, they earn 3,000 yuan (US$410) per month, relying on Yang's mother, who is in her 90s, to subsidise their rent from her pension. Their son is a migrant worker in another city and did not return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year with them.
Xie paid a deposit of 2,000 yuan when her husband was hospitalised, but after just a week of treatment, the medical costs have already soared to 10,000 yuan.
"As this amount exceeds our financial capacity, we are planning to seek help from the public through a crowdfunding website," she said.
It remains unclear what the total medical expenses for Yang will be.
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