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What began as a typical schoolyard accident has spiralled into a medical tragedy for a 10-year-old boy in eastern China
The incident has left him dependent on intravenous (IV) nutrition to survive.
According to South China Morning Post, Xiaoye was admitted to the Chengwu County People's Hospital in Shandong province on 26 October 2023, after a classmate bumped into his stomach.
While doctors initially planned a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery to address a lump found in his abdomen, the situation quickly deteriorated.
The routine procedure stretched into a gruelling 14-hour ordeal that resulted in the removal of nearly all of the boy's digestive organs.
Xiaoye's mother, Yue, recalled the terror of waiting outside the operating room as doctors repeatedly emerged with bad news
She described feeling pressured to consent to drastic measures mid-surgery, including a laparotomy, after doctors cited complications involving a haemorrhage and a tumour .
"It was the longest waiting time of my life," Yue said, adding that doctors emerged repeatedly, asking the family to sign various surgical consent forms.
"They mentioned a haemorrhage issue, suggested a laparotomy, and insisted they needed to remove certain organs. Ultimately, we signed four such consent forms."
By the end of the operation, surgeons had removed Xiaoye's pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder, part of his small intestine, and two-thirds of his stomach
The surgery left him with only 50cm of his colon, devastating the family.
A forensic report released in December confirmed that significant medical faults directly caused the damage, and a local health bureau investigation in May highlighted improper pre-surgery protocols.
Despite the catastrophic error, the hospital offered a compensation package of only 200,000 yuan (RM116,000), a sum Yue says is woefully inadequate for the lifelong care and potential transplant surgeries her son now requires
Xiaoye remains hospitalised, having lost significant weight and the will to engage with the world.
Yue shared the heartbreaking question her son now asks her: "Mum, I cannot eat or drink. What's the meaning of living?"
