In 2009, we featured a Chinese boy named Hou Guozhu, who was dubbed as “half brain” boy after his right cerebral hemisphere was removed.
Boy Hou Guozhu, before- and after- cosmetic surgery
Now we are happy to know the 11-year-old kid has received the cosmetic surgery and was recently discharged from the prestigious Beijing Xiehe Hospital.
Guozhu’s skull was re-constructed using titanium mesh
Guozhu was born in Dongying, Shandong Province. He was suffered from epilepsy since two after falling off the bed at a night when his mother, a countryside doctor, was called to attend a pregnant woman for her delivery (via).
In an attempt to cure his son’s disease, Guozhu’s father brought him to Beijing in order to seek the better treatment.
After numerous surgeries, Guozhu’s epilepsy (confirmed as Rasmussen syndrome) was cured but that came as an extreme costly price.
He lost the half of his skull as well as the family was impoverished by the sky-high medical bills. There was a time when this pair of poor father and son was expelled from the hospital for not being able to pay fees (via).
Yet like some unlucky (as well as lucky) Chinese kids, Guozhu and his father’s plight was caught the attention of Beijing media and Chinese netizens whose reports and online BBS thread prompted many kind-hearted fellow Chinese people to make donations.
In the past three years, Guozhu and his father remained at Beijing for the treatment. When interviewed on Qilu TV, Guozhu’s mother, who’s eager for a reunification, cried she would feel indebted to her son for not take good care of him during her life.
