He’s just 11 years old but Yan Yihang already helps his parents earn extra money to pay for his younger brother’s treatment.
Yihang and his family live in a small city in Henan province, China. Because his 7-year-old brother Yan Ce suffers from a rare medical condition called aplastic anemia, the family’s money mostly goes to his treatment and other medical needs.
Knowing the many hardships his parents face and the difficulties his brother experiences, Yihang wants to help as best as he could. So, he would wake up very early each morning to harvest spring onions from his family’s little farm.
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By 6AM, Yihang is ready to walk to town to sell the onions before he goes to school.
“I want to save my brother. I want to go to school with him together. These vegetables are grown by my family and I want to earn some money by selling them,” Yihang told local reporters.
Because Ce needed bone marrow transplant, Yihang readily offered to help. While other family members were also tested, he was the only one who matched with his brother. The transplant was performed in June 2018.
Photo credit: Pear Video / YouTube
“It was a little painful, but I was not scared. Because only through this could my brother recover quickly,” this loving brother shared.
This wonderful brother does not mind waking up early and walking around the town even if gets tired because he wants to help Ce. He promised to do anything and everything so his brother would become better.
His parents are already deep in debt after paying for medical bills amounting to over 700,000 yuan ($98,700). According to Yihang, he sells a bunch of spring onions for 1 yuan ($0.14) each.
Photo credit: Pear Video / YouTube
But the income is not stable. While there was one time that he sold 50 bunches in one to earn 50 yuan ($7), there are also many days when he does not sell anything. Still, he is determined to do it every day, in hopes that this could help his brother become better.
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What is Aplastic Anemia?
Aplastic anemia is a medical condition wherein the body does not produce enough new blood cells. The condition can develop at any age and could easily get worse with no treatment.