Fu from Huai’an rural in Jiangsu Province wrote in his letter for help to save his son Hao Hao, a child patient of congenital biliary atresia, that: “When the diagnosis came out, the local doctor advised us to give up. Because there are also postoperative problems beside the surgery, especially the cost is not affordable for a family like mine! When we knew this result, we felt like the sky is falling, and fallen into special despair and helplessness! We Cried and really didn’t know how to do!”

One child patient’s mother Li from rural mountain area of Guiyang in Guizhou Province said, “From the county hospital to the city hospital, the provincial hospital, and then to the hospital for severe children, several hospitalization almost spent all the savings at home. The child's hospital expenses can not be afforded through the mother’s medical insurance reimbursement, so that every point had to dig their own. Struggled for half a month, after persuading the family did not oppose the parent-child transplantation, we had to raise money around. But friends and family were ordinary people, their help was extremely limited ... ... When we came to Shanghai, hospital examination, typing and expenses of life, made the money left behind, not to mention the unaffordable cost of surgery. I also didn’t know where the money for postoperative examination will come from. ”

Due to economic factors and other reasons, only about 10% of children in the country have the opportunity to undergo liver transplantation surgery. In Renji Hospital, 80% of biliary atresia children are from all provinces and cities, and most of them are from the poor remote areas, many children’s parents work part-time to make a living. Although many parents are not hesitant to donate liver to save the child, but the liver transplantation surgery and postoperative costs is in front of a sad threshold. However, it is gratifying that more and more social charities, businesses and caring people begin to pay attention to them, a sum of charitable contributions just like rain showers, are willing to help these children and families into new hope.

On October 10th, Ms. Lifang Gu, Chairman of Shanghai Jude Charity Foundation, signed an agreement with Director Weiping Li on the “Jude & Ganlin” project, in which Shanghai Jude Charity Foundation would invest RMB 5 million in three years to help poor children who would undergo liver transplantation in Renji Hospital, to help alleviate the economic pressure on poor families. Vice President Daxiang Wen hosted the signing ceremony. Chairman De’an Zhang and Vice President Hua Tang of Yongda Group, Chairman Lifang Gu of Shanghai Jude Charity Foundation, Dean Weiping Li, Deputy Dean Qiang Xia, Deputy Party Secretary Jianying Min and other representatives of medical staff and family members of children attended the ceremony.

The “Jude & Ganlin” project is sponsored by Chairman De’an Zhang of Yongda Group and his wife Chairman Lifang Gu of Shanghai Jude Charity Foundation. It is intended to help children who are bearing with jaundice and need for liver transplantation and their families. “Ganlin” means “timely rain”. Shanghai Jude Charity Foundation hopes to bring the whole community "timely rain" through their own efforts, to send hope for these children, so that they and the family can regain a new life.

In China, each year there are nearly 3,000 children who have end-stage cirrhosis in infants due to a variety of congenital diseases. The mortality rate is more than 90%, of which the most common is congenital biliary atresia. The incidence rate of congenital biliary atresia is about 1 / 8000- 1/10000, if not treated, 70% -80% of children will die under 2 years old due to liver failure.

At present, Renji Hospital has completed a total of more than 700 liver transplantation surgeries in children. This is the hospital which completed the largest number of liver transplantation in children in the past five years among the world. Operation success rate is 95% or more, and 1 year and 5 year survival rate of children is 93.1% and 80%, ranking the international forefront. However, according to Deputy Dean of Renji Hospital and Director of Department of Liver Surgery Qiang Xia, despite the continuous improvement of technology, and continuous increase in surgical success rate and the survival rate of children, not every child with biliary atresia can be lucky to accept liver transplantation because of economic reasons.

In order to help these children and families, Department of Liver Surgery of Renji Hospital widely called social concern and support. They have joined hands and signed agreements with SMIC Group, China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Beijing “Angel Mother” Foundation, Shanghai Charity Foundation Love Angel Fund, Children's Hope Rescue Foundation, Shanghai Dream Foundation, Chinese Hepatitis Prevention Foundation and other social charitable foundations as well as enterprises, caring people and so on. This will help children with liver transplantation surgeries through donations, which has currently reached a total amount of more than 2500 million of donations. More than 70% of the 700 children who have completed liver transplantation at Renji Hospital have received various levels of relief from the social philanthropic platform.

(Correspondent Shan Tan / Cinematography Jinhai Chen / Translator Weiwei Zhang)