THE family of a 3-year-old toddler, who was born with a rare genetic disease, is in desperate need of financial aid for a stem cell transplant, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

    Luo Zihang has recently been admitted into an ICU at the pediatric department of the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital for a serious infection in his lungs. This is his ninth time he has been hospitalized since he was born three years ago.

    According to Mao Huawei, a consultant with the pediatric department of thehospital, Luo suffers from neutropenia, a rare genetic disease that affects no more than six people in every 1 million. Patients with the disease suffer from a weakened immune system making them prone to serious complications when infected.

    Mao said a stem cell transplant is the only effective way to cure Luo’s disease.

    Luo was diagnosed with the genetic disease in July last year after a genetic test in a Wuhan hospital when he was 2 years old. He has been suffering from various ailments, including fever, pneumonia and diarrhea since he was only 2 months old. When he was almost 2 years old, he lost hearing in his right ear because of a serious infection, according to the report.

    Mai Qiuhua, Luo’s mother, said they frequently needed to disinfect their home, including the furniture, floor, his toys and milk bottles, to help Luo avoid infections. However, the disease makes Luo’s immune system so weak that he constantly becomes sick.

    Mai said Luo had stayed at the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital for half a year in 2015 and he was hospitalized again in March this year for a severe fever. Mai said they had to take the boy home because the family couldn’t afford the expensive medical fees after spending two months in the hospital.

    Mao said Luo’s condition was so serious this time that his left lung stopped functioning properly. Now the little boy relies on a breathing machine in his ward.

    According to Mao, Luo’s condition will worsen without a timely stem cell transplant because the infections he suffers from will become increasingly serious.

    Mai conceived again as suggested by doctors, hoping that the umbilical cord blood of Luo’s sibling would match with Luo’s and save him. However, a DNA test when Mai was five-month pregnant dashed the couple’s hope.

    However, their waiting was up Feb. 26 when they were informed by a Beijing hospital that they’ve found matching stem cells for the boy. Luo’s parents decided to take the boy to the Mary Hospital in Hong Kong for the stem cell transplant as the hospital has reported a cured case of the disease. The transplant will cost at least 1 million yuan (US$149,254), which is an astronomical amount for the couple, who have spent more than 600,000 yuan for the boy’s medical treatment over the past years. (SD News)