Two young siblings from China have braved painful surgery to donate part of their scalps in order to save their severely burnt father.
Thirty-year-old father, Wang Xiyong, had been seriously injured in August in a high-voltage electrical accident and needed immediate skin transplant, reported People's Daily Online.
His two children, aged eight and six, volunteered to donate their scalps after their mother found herself struggling with costly medical bills in Neijiang city, southwest China.
Accident happened on August 15 when Wang was on his way to fishing.
According to his wife, he was caught by an electric arc discharged by high-voltage wires not far from his house. Fire engulfed the upper half of his body in a split of second.
Mr Wang was immediately sent to the hospital and but got burns covering 91 percent of his body.
His less-than-fortunate family faced medical bills that could potentially run up to one million Yuan (£100,000).
His wife, Li Changmei, started using all means possible in order to raise funds to save his husband while Wang was being looked after at the intensive care unit in Neijiang Number 1 People's Hospital.
On September 16, doctors told Li that her husband must receive a skin transplant as soon as possible; otherwise he would run into medical difficulties.
Considering the family's financial situation, the hospital suggested one of the members to donate their scalp for the grafting.
Li wanted doctors to take her own scalp, but was informed that using the scalp from a blood relative would be safer, which would also give Wang a better chance at recovery.
Reluctantly, Li asked her eight-year-old son if he would be willing to suffer the pain of surgery for their father, and her son agreed without a hint of hesitation.
Her six-year-old daughter, who was by their side at the time, volunteered to donate part of her scalp together with her brother.
After the doctors ensured Li that her children's skin would grow back after a week's time, she decided to put them through surgery.
The two siblings were sent into the same operating room on the morning of September 24 for a joint surgery, which last seven hours and was successful.
Li Changmei said: 'When my son and daughter were pushed out of the operating theatre, their heads were wrapped with layers of sterile dressings. I could still see blood stains.'
Feeling in debt to her children, guilt-tripped Li later left a message on her social media account, which read:
'My children kept screaming in pain and this makes me feel extremely sad.
'Your mother doesn't know how to feel the pain on behalf of you. Sorry, really really sorry.
'It's not because I don't love you, or I love your dad more than you two. It's because your mother loves all of you; your mother feels the family isn't complete with any of you.
'That's why your mother made the decision to use your skin to save your dad.
'I'm sorry, babies. All I can hope is that you can forgive me when you grow up.'
The two children have reportedly recovered from surgery and are now back to school.
Wang received the skin grafting operation this week and is currently in recovery
The cost of the transplant surgery was reportedly funded by money donated by local villagers, as well as by the Chinese Red Cross.
Much of the operating fee was also covered by the electrical company responsible for the high voltage wires.
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