In China, Yu Jianping, a woman suffering from chronic kidney failure, was desperate for a transplant. Unable to find a donor, she devised a plan: to legally marry a terminal cancer patient so that the law would allow organ donation between spouses and thus help him financially.
What began as a cold survival agreement for a kidney turned, amid chemotherapy and dialysis, into a real romance.
“We weren’t looking for love, we were only looking for one more day of life. But fate showed us that to heal the body, we first had to heal the soul together”, they stated on social media.
Against all medical odds, Yu’s treatment stabilized her cancer. At the same time, Wang’s health improved drastically in a miraculous way, reducing his dialysis to the point that doctors determined he no longer needed the kidney transplant.
Their romance and struggle together inspired the acclaimed 2024 film “Viva la Vida” by director Han Yan.
Do you think they were right to defy the system to save themselves?