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August 13, 2011

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Boy, likely beaten, to have surgery on skull, brain

A four-year-old boy who lost part of his skull and suffered a serious brain injury, allegedly caused by his stepmother's beating, was admitted to a local hospital yesterday.

Yu Zhongbao of Henan Province is expected to undergo surgery next Wednesday to repair his skull. Doctors will also clean up water accumulating in his brain due to the injury, said officials from the Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

Yu, whose mother left him soon after birth, was raised by his father, who later got married. According to Yu's grandparents, the boy was repeatedly beaten by the stepmother.

The tragedy took place on April 8, when the stepmother beat Yu so badly that he lost consciousness. He was sent to a hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan's capital, and had surgery to remove blood in the brain.

But doctors improperly removed a part of the skull bone, resulting in collapse of the boy's right forehead.

He was transferred to another hospital in Zhengzhou to treat water in the right hemisphere of the brain, which has resulted in the boy's paralysis on his left side. He received surgery in mid-July to remove the water and stabilize his condition.

Only his grandparents accompanied the boy, while his father and stepmother fled. Police in Henan are still tracking their whereabouts.

Yu's story was soon picked up the media. Charity organizations and volunteers collected donations to cover medical expenses and contact leading children's hospitals.

"We were shocked at Yu's injury when he arrived at our hospital," said Dr Bao Nan, director of Shanghai Children's Medical Center's neurosurgery department. "Such serious brain injury could only be caused by fall from a building, traffic accident or beating."

Yu remains at risk because of the loss of skull bone and the remaining water in the brain, and he needs surgery as soon as possible, Bao said.

"Fortunately, a checkup found the boy didn't suffer intelligence or vision loss. We are confident about his recovery," he said.

 

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