Li Hongfang, a Chinese woman and mother of two has appealed to the community in order to find a solution to a disease that has ravaged her face over the course of ten years.
Since first being diagnosed with a rare bone condition the mother has had to watch in anguish as the condition has steadily worsened and led to a debilitating growth of her facial features. Unable to afford treatment in her local town she has found herself over the years shunned by her local community as her disease has steadily progressed and led to extreme disfigurement in her appearances.
The situation first came to light in 2001, when Li Hongfang noticed swelling on her forehead. At the time she thought nothing of it as it wasn’t painful, but over the course of four years the situation worsened leading her to finally seek medical assistance.
What is worth noting is at at the time of initial discovery the woman was told she should make the trek to a city hospital to tend to the grievance but thought better of it as she didn’t have the cost of travel in hand. A decision that would later come to haunt her.
As the situation worsened she sought medical help only to now be told it would cost in excess of $100 000 to treat and unable to obtain medical health care she has watched in horror as her situation from there on has markedly degenerated.
Offered the woman: ‘I know that a lot of people see me as a monster but I am just a normal woman and a mother inside.’
Then when she thought things couldn’t get worse, her husband then passed away leaving her now the responsibility of singularly having to take care of her family. She soon there after tended to begging on the streets.
By 2009 she had met her second husband, Guo Yingping, an orphan who related to her sense of her ostracism.
At present the woman is faced to deal with the daily trauma of stigma and the mortal threat the disease has on her life as the tumor now covers much of her face and has now grown to her breast.
Since her story first caught the attention of social networks in China, thousands have sent her text of encouragements, yet what is probable in order to sustain life is that Li find a benefactor to fund an operation.
At present the Chinese government have not come to the mother’s aid although it is been said that the government hopes to be able to provide health care to its residents of 1.3 billion by 2020. A situation unlikely to help Li as her disease morbidly progresses.
via asiaone
If you would please contact me. I am the original author of the story and friend of Li Hongfang. Thusfar, Hongfang has not been contacted by Caring Bridge, so I am not sure how you planned to get the funds to her. But I can put you into contact with her, and should be able to help. Best,
Adam Mitchell
[email protected]
If you would please contact me. I am the original author of the story and friend of Li Hongfang. Thusfar, Hongfang has not been contacted by Caring Bridge, so I am not sure how you planned to get the funds to her. But I can put you into contact with her, and should be able to help. Best,
Adam Mitchell
[email protected]
Hi my name is Adam Mitchell, and I am the person who originally found Hongfang. I met her begging on the streets of Xi’an when my partners and I were interviewing beggars for a book that I am currently writing. After hearing Hongfang’s tragic tale, we decided that we should make her story public. We contacted various newspapers in Xi’an, and within a week the story went quite viral, being published in more than 40 newspapers and media sites in both the Mainland and Hong Kong. Now the story has been picked up by international media sites, although some are distorting the story somewhat in order to use it as a means of criticizing the Chinese government and Chinese health care system. Let me be the first to say that the Chinese government has been very helpful, and the governor of Shaanxi province became personally involved in trying to improve the quality of life for Hongfang’s family. We have already begun organizing donation drives for Hongfang in China, and have raised around 30,000RMB. We are currently setting up a foundation in the US to further help raise funds for Hongfang’s medical treatments, and to identify a surgeon to perform a pro bono surgery. Hongfang is an incredible woman, whose strength is matched only by her overwhelming compassion. If you would like any more information on Hongfang, or are interested in helping in some way, feel free to contact myself and my partners at [email protected]
Also I would be cautious to donate money through any of the fundraising platforms. Li Hongfang has not been in contact with any charity organizations, so I am not sure about their validity. However if you are interested in donating, I can arrange for people to contact Hongfang directly.
Adam Mitchell
East Asian Studies
Harvard University 2012
Partners:
Gino Caspari
Jo Chen
Haiyin Lin
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lihongfang we have started a fund to help pay for her surgery. Please Donate if you can!
I am deeply saddened by this story and it is time to do something. I started a fund to help this woman. Every dollar counts.
https://rally.org/treatmentfordeformedchinesemom/donate
Let’s raise some money for this woman.
I pray that someone can and will help this poor woman as I’m sure all she wants to do is be a good mother and provider. Many prayers to this strong woman.