Boy saved after timely heart transplant

A 12-year-old boy named Xiaobao from Jiangxi province survived a severe heart failure on Friday after receiving a heart transplant in Beijing, following a soul-stirring air transportation of the heart donated by 21-year-old Ye Jin, who died in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday.

Xiaobao's condition started attracting widespread attention after a Sina Weibo user posted a series of entries on Friday afternoon, pleading China Southern Airlines, which carried the organ to Beijing from Guilin, to ensure a safe and timely transfer.

The Weibo entries were reposted more than 5,000 times in a couple of hours, which helped various related authorities learn about the case and take timely action.

The aircraft departed Guilin 15 minutes before its scheduled time and arrived in Beijing 35 minutes earlier at 8:20 pm on Friday. Then an air ambulance was used for transporting the organ to Beijing Anzhen Hospital, where the surgery was started within an hour. Xiaobao's new heart started to beat at 10:30 pm.

Meng Xu, one of the main surgeons who performed the operation, said the process went smoothly. He said one of the success factors was the on-time transfer of the heart from Guilin to Beijing, as the heart is only usable within the golden six hours after it is removed from the donor's body, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Zhang Haibo, a cardiac surgeon with Beijing Anzhen Hospital, told the Global Times that the boy was still in critical condition around 5:30 pm on Saturday but he was awake.

Meng Fei, another participating surgeon at Anzhen hospital, told Beijing Television that Xiaobao was also suffering from liver and kidney damage due to the side effects of the heart failure.

Xiaobao turned critically ill on Wednesday after suffering from cardiomyopathy for two to three years. His father had taken him across the country to seek medication. The family was previously skeptical about the idea of heart transplant due to Xiaobao's young age.

Ye, deemed as a hero by the people, was diagnosed with brain cancer around the lunar new year in January. His condition deteriorated in mid-April, and he was found to be brain dead on Thursday at the 181 Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Guilin, Beijing Times reported.

Pan Yuchen, a surgeon at the military hospital, told CCTV that Ye's heart was still in good condition after his death. Ye's parents quickly agreed to donate the heart after receiving the news about Xiaobao's condition.

"We hope this could save Xiaobao and he could then lead a better life," the father told CCTV.