Dad has skin removed without general anesthesia

 

By Cang Wei BEIJING - A farmer whose child was severely burned in a fire had surgery to donate his skin without general anesthesia, as he could not afford the medical fees. Du Jinhui, 31, volunteered to endure the pain after learning his 5-year-old daughter had suffered burns to 60 percent of her body in a blaze on Aug 16. "He broke out in a sweat and screamed when I removed the skin," said Shi Longjie, the doctor who operated on Du at Hebei Friendship Hospital in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital. Though he was in great pain when his skin was removed, he still asked me to take away more skin if it was good for his daughter," Shi added. Shi said removing skin under local anesthesia is risky and painful, but Du a migrant worker from Lingshou county in Hebei province, said his decision was "natural" and that any father would do the same for their child. Du said after the operation that he could not afford to have general anesthesia so he opted to take more than 100 shots of local anesthetic, which cost about $135 less. He said another reason for him to choose local anesthesia was that he would not be able to see his daughter in the operating room if he took the general anesthesia. "The doctor told me I wouldn't be able to move for about six hours if I took the general anesthesia," said Du. "I didn't want to miss my daughter's operation."