stonecrandall 020 My younger brother and sister who didn't come
020 My younger brother and sister who didn't come
Yu then asked Professor Zheng, "In the patient support group, some patients suggested that I have another child. What do you think, Professor Zheng?"
Professor Zheng looked at Yu Wenhao and said, "You and Xiao Cao are both still young, this could be an option. Besides, the two-child policy has been relaxed now, having another child won't do you any harm, as long as you can afford it."
"I wanted to ask, is this good for Qianqian?" Yu asked inquiringly.
"There is definitely a 25% chance that siblings will have a fully matched bone marrow and stem cells. If they are to be donors, a fully matched donor is the most ideal, as there will be a lower risk of rejection compared to a fully matched donor who is not related by blood."
"Twenty-five percent, that's so high?" Yu asked.
Professor Zheng nodded.
Yu Wenhao decided almost immediately to have another child, for Qianqian's sake. There was a 25% chance, or one in four, that Qianqian would find a perfect match. Compared to the chances of finding a bone marrow donor in the millions, this probability was incredibly high.
"If Qianqian's younger brother or sister is a blood relative to her, then Qianqian will have a safe haven," Professor Zheng said.
Yu asked, "How so?"
"Even after a fully matched bone marrow or stem cell transplant, there is still a possibility of relapse. In case, and I mean just in case, if there is a slight relapse, a second stem cell infusion will be needed, which means finding a new donor. If the donor is her brother or sister, wouldn't that be like having a safe haven by her side?"
Yu nodded repeatedly, finding Professor Zheng's analogy of a vault to be very apt.
When Yu Wenhao returned home, he told Cao Fang about the new drug that Professor Zheng had mentioned. Cao Fang was also very happy and asked, "So, does that mean there's hope for our Qianqian?"
Yu Wenhao agreed, and then he talked to Cao Fang about having another child.
Cao Fang looked at him, smiling incessantly.
Yu asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"It's all good news," Cao Fang said.
Yu Wenhao chuckled and said, "Yes, it's all good news. This is a case of 'when one door closes, another opens.'"
"A 25% chance?" Cao Fang said. "If it doesn't work out for us, why don't we just have four? Then we'll have a 100% chance of a shallow perfect match, right?"
Yu Wenhao couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Is that how you calculate probability? Four 25% equals 100%? You've worked in finance, for goodness' sake. Did your math teacher really teach you gym class?"
Cao Fang was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, looked at Yu Wenhao, and chuckled.
After laughing, she stared blankly at Yu Wenhao without saying a word. Yu Wenhao asked, "What's wrong?"
Cao Fang said, "We have to raise them after they are born. Do we have the means to raise two children now? Whether it's a younger brother or a younger sister, they are both my own children. I feel terrible seeing Qianqian suffering like this. If I were to see him or her suffer as well, I would feel even worse."
"No, that won't happen." Yu Wenhao shook her head. "I've already thought about it. If the younger sibling's bone marrow and umbilical cord blood are a perfect match for Qianqian after birth, she can have a transplant. After the transplant, if Qianqian is healthy, the subsequent medical expenses will be greatly reduced. Raising another child won't be a problem at all. I won't let them suffer any injustice."
"But that's only a one in four chance. There's still a three in four chance. What if the baby is born and they're only partially compatible?" Cao Fang asked.
"Even so, we still need to have another child. Even if it's just for Qianqian's sake, what if, in the worst-case scenario, Qianqian's illness doesn't get better and she stays like this forever? She'll need someone to take care of her. If we have a younger brother or sister to take care of her after we're gone, wouldn't we be able to rest easy?"
Cao Fang thought about it and agreed with Yu Wenhao, so she nodded.
Yu Wenhao sighed and said, "What I'm thinking is, if we have another one, it will be hard on you."
Cao Fang shook her head: "I'm not afraid. What's a little hardship? As long as Qianqian gets better, what's a little hardship for me? Besides, as long as our whole family can be together, what's there to be afraid of, no matter how hard it is? It's not like I haven't suffered before, I'm not afraid."
Given their current financial situation, having another child and hiring a postpartum nanny or babysitter is out of the question; they simply can't afford it.
Even when Yu Wenhao was working part-time as a ride-hailing driver, he couldn't stop. At most, he would stop for a while when Cao Fang was giving birth or in her postpartum period to take care of her. The rest of the time, Cao Fang had to take care of Qianqian and the baby all by herself.
Yu Wenhao's car has a limited lifespan, practically measured in days. If he stops driving it for a few months, it's like losing money for several months. Moreover, without his income from driving for ride-hailing services, they still have a child to support, so they'll definitely be unable to make ends meet.
Cao Fang's parents had passed away long ago. Yu Wenhao's parents lived in Yongcheng. His mother was in poor health and had retired due to illness. His father had not yet retired. It was already difficult enough for a man to work and take care of his mother.
Fortunately, their income was decent. Although his mother had retired from Xinhua Bookstore, she was a public sector employee with a good income, and they would give her money to help them out every month.
But you can't really count on them to help take care of the children.
"Let's have the baby," Cao Fang said to Yu Wenhao. "Even if the baby isn't a match, having a younger brother or sister to keep Qianqian company at home will prevent her from feeling so lonely. Weren't you worried that she might become withdrawn over time?"
We greeted each other and agreed to be together.
The couple decided to have a second child, and they seized every opportunity to try, hoping their little brother or sister would arrive in the world soon. Unfortunately, after more than a year of trying, Cao Fang's belly remained still empty.
After they finished, both were still wide awake and unable to sleep. Although they knew it was getting late and they needed to sleep, especially Yu Wenhao who had to get up to drive soon, they just couldn't fall asleep. They snuggled together, and Cao Fang said to Yu Wenhao:
Tell me about it.
"What did you say?" Yu asked.
"What you mentioned earlier."
Yu Wenhao remembered, so he told Cao Fang about not being able to find Dian Dian that morning, and also about meeting Jiang Yihe that evening. Cao Fang sighed after listening, and said:
"They're all such a worry! Look at this little girl, especially Jiang Yihe. She's so pitiful. You have to help her. These two girls should be very happy, but they're still like this. What's the use of their parents having so much money? They'll still be worried sick. Hey, let me ask you something."
"What?" Yu asked.
"Tell me, if you had a choice, would you prefer Qianqian to be like she is now, or like Jiang Yihe?" Cao Fang asked.
"I don't want either of those. I just want Qianqian to be healthy," Yu Wenhao said. "If I really had to choose, I'd rather Qianqian be like Xiao Jiang. That way, at least she wouldn't suffer so much pain. I could just follow her around every day and urge her to do things, but that would be better than watching her writhe in bed and being completely helpless."
Cao Fang sighed and said, "Yes, me too."