Photo story: Female teacher donates liver to save dying father in Hainan

Thirty-year-old Niu Xiao has donated part of her liver to save her father, Niu Wenqing, who suffered from liver cancer. The operation was conducted at the Chinese PLA General Hospital in Hainan on June 27.

It's the first child-parent liver transplant in Hainan. Two thirds of the woman's liver was removed and then transplanted during the eight hour surgery. After one week of recovery, both father and daughter are in good condition, and the hospital has called the surgery a success.

One week later, when they met again for the first time after the surgery, they asked each other: "How do you feel?" They feel relieved knowing that they are both doing well.

Niu Xiao is a teacher at a tourism school in Haikou, Hainan. She was named after her parents' surnames. Her mother, Xiao Yanqiu, was under a lot of pressure before the surgery. She had to sign two surgery notices, one for her ailing husband and the other for her unmarried daughter. She could not imagine the pain if something had gone wrong.

Niu Xiao was born in 1987 in Jixi, Heilongjiang. Her parents moved to Hainan in early 1990s and left the little girl in their hometown. She moved to Hainan in 1996. Since then, the small family of three has lived happily together.

However, her father's disease cast a shadow over the happy family. When she found out that the best treatment for an early-stage liver cancer patient is to conduct a liver transplant, Niu Xiao decided to donate her liver to save her father, despite some pressure not to do so.

Niu Xiao's determination moved the medical team. "I have witnessed many liver donations from parents to children or between husband and wife in my 30 years of work, but it's rare to see a daughter who donates her liver to save her father," said Ji Wenbin, director of the hospital's hepatobiliary surgery. They conducted a series of tests before the surgery and set up a special care team.

Xiao Yanqiu told her daughter that the tourism school has raised more than 30,000 RMB (about $4,411) for Niu's medical expenses.

"Thank you everyone for helping us. As long as we work together, we will be able to ride out the storm," the family said as they tightly held hands.