KIDNEY SOLD TO BUY IPHONE 4 AND IPAD 2, WHILE SECOND KIDNEY FAILED, NEEDS TRANSPLANT
KIDNEY SOLD TO BUY IPHONE 4 AND IPAD 2, WHILE SECOND KIDNEY FAILED, NEEDS TRANSPLANT
Wang Shangkun, 17 year old in 2011, sold his kidney on the black market and used the money to buy an iPhone 4 and iPad 2.
Nine years down the lane, Shangkun who is now 26 year old man, his remaining kidney has failed and he is now completely bedridden; a burden to his family as he also needs regular dialysis.
He received 22,000 RMB (around £2,520) and purchased a iPhone 4 and iPad 2 with the funds.
Reports even quoted Shangkun, from Anhui Province in East China, as having said at the time: “Why do I need a second kidney? One is enough.”
Local Chinese media recently revealed Wang now spends his days in bed and relies on dialysis to survive his kidney failure.
He developed renal deficiency not long after the illegal surgery, which is believed to have led to an infection due to the unsanitary setting where it took place and the apparent lack of postoperative care.
He was also forced to give up his studies and lives on social benefits.
Nine people were arrested in connection with the case and five, including the surgeons who harvested his kidney, were jailed in 2012.
His family was eventually awarded 1.47 million RMB (168,000 GBP) in compensation later the same year
Reports at the time revealed that Wang desperately sought the new iPhone in order to show off to his friends.
His family, however, who live in one of China’s poorest provinces, could not afford it, so he turned to other means to raise the money.
The operation happened in the city of Chenzhou in China’s Hunan Province at the hands of the two doctors who were also employed at local hospitals.
