A 10-YEAR-OLD girl suffering from dystonia was about to undergo an operation at a Shenzhen hospital, but the 300,000 yuan (US$45,193) medical bill put her family in a dilemma, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

The girl, identified as Huanhuan, can’t eat or walk normally as her body twists and trembles constantly. She has been suffering from dystonia caused by neonatal jaundice since she was born.

Her parents recently brought her to the Shenzhen No. 2 People’s Hospital seeking medical treatment. Cai Xiaodong, chief physician of the hospital’s neurology department, said the girl might be paralyzed and her life could be in danger if her condition continues to worsen.

According to Cai, the hospital has partnered with the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) of McGill University in Canada under the city’s “3R Project,” which is aimed at introducing medical experts and resources from outside the city to improve local health-care service.

Cai said the hospital’s doctors treated a 13-year-old boy with dystonia Aug. 3 by utilizing deep brain stimulation, which they learned from a neurosurgeon at MNI.

After successfully treating the boy, the hospital is confident it can help Huanhuan regain a normal life with the operation, the report said.

Huanhuan’s father is a migrant worker and her mother doesn’t have a regular job. The parents have given all they have to cover the girl’s medical expenses, but they feel helpless as the girl’s operation will cost over 300,000 yuan.

Those who are willing to help out the girl can contact the hospital’s neurology department for more information, according to the report.

(Zhang Yang)