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10. 05. 12. - 18:00

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10. 05. 12. - 18:00

Skin and Bone Girls Battle to Survive

Kathryn Quinn

Hui Yuxin who was born in July 2010 was abandoned by her mother when she was just four-months-old and was taken in by her grandmother at the remote Huijiaxie village, in Lantian county in west China’s Shaanxi province.

When she was 9-months-old, doctors noticed that she was failing to put on weight but as her family were very poor she was unable to get proper treatment and her condition deteriorated.

Almost at death's door and skeleton thin from being unable to hold down any food – the situation changed in March of this year when a story appeared in Chinese media and donations flooded in to help - allowing her grandmother to travel with the critically ill youngster to Beijing Children’s Hospital.

The doctor in charge of her treatment, Zhang Chengye, said: "We are doing everything we can for her but the situation is not good.

"She should have started receiving treatment a long time ago and is now much harder to help her. Because she has been unable to hold down her food for so long she is now critically weakened. To be honest it's amazing that she is even alive now – she must have an enormously strong will to survive. She is a fighter.

"There are numerous health problems that need to be treated, she weighs just 5.2 kilograms, in comparison with a normal child of her age who would be around about 11.5 kilograms on the average."

They are pinning their hopes on keeping her alive until she reaches her second birthday in two months by which time they believe she will be much stronger, and respond better to treatment for her various ailments.

So far £20,000 has been raised in China to pay for the treatment.

Journalismwithoutborders.com has also offered to pass on any donations to the fund directly.

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