WOMAN, 24, MARRIED CANCER PATIENT FOR KIDNEY, FOUND LOVE
A Chinese woman with failing kidneys married a cancer patient in a kidney marriage deal that turned into real love.
Wang Xiao was 24 and living in Shaanxi province when she was diagnosed with uremia, NDTV reported. She and Yu Zhenping registered their marriage in 2013.
Doctors told Wang she had roughly one year to live without a kidney transplant. None of her relatives was a match.
So she posted an ad in a cancer-patient support group, looking for a terminally ill man whose kidney she could receive after his death. A post on X quoted her as saying, “I just want to live.”
Yu, who had recurrent cancer and matched her blood type, answered. EtIndonesia reported that his cancer was myeloma and that it had relapsed several times.
The terms were simple. Wang would provide long-term care and support, and Yu’s kidney would go to her after his death.
EtIndonesia reported that the couple agreed to keep the marriage secret and manage their money separately. Wang also promised to care for Yu’s father after Yu died.
The same X post quoted Yu as telling her, “I can marry you.”
What happened next
Wang stood by Yu through his treatment. She sold handmade bouquets to raise money for him.
Somewhere along the way, the arrangement stopped feeling like one. NDTV reported that the two developed a genuine relationship as they spent time together.
By June 2014, Yu’s condition had stabilized and Wang’s health had improved. Her dialysis sessions dropped to once a month, and doctors said she might no longer need a transplant, EtIndonesia reported.
Yu then proposed love rather than continuing the original deal.
On February 14, 2015, the couple held a wedding in Xi’an, yibingsg wrote on X.
Their story was later adapted into the film Viva La Vida, which earned more than 276 million yuan in mainland China.
When the story resurfaced online, it was hailed as “a powerful mix of desperation, altruism and hope,” NDTV reported. The outlet also wrote that it raises ethical questions about medical arrangements, organ donation and marriage.
The couple later ran a flower shop in Xi’an and were living quietly and healthily, EtIndonesia reported.
