A man from China’s Anhui province who sold his kidney at the age of 17 just to buy an iPhone is now paying the ultimate price years later he has been declared permanently disabled due to severe medical complications.
According to foreign media reports, Wang Shangkun from Anhui was 17 years old in 2011 when he developed a strong desire to own an iPhone 4. However, due to poverty, he could not afford it, and at that time, the iPhone 4 was considered a symbol of status and wealth.
After reading online posts, Wang came up with an extraordinary and illegal idea to fulfill his dream. He agreed to sell one of his kidneys through an unlawful surgery and received 20,000 yuan in return.
He used the money to buy an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2, but soon after, his health began to deteriorate. He developed a severe infection, which eventually caused his remaining kidney to weaken.
The report stated that when his mother noticed he suddenly had such expensive gadgets, she questioned him, and Wang confessed the truth, leaving her heartbroken. Meanwhile, his condition worsened, and doctors later declared him medically disabled for life.
Authorities eventually caught the gang involved in performing the illegal surgeries, and Wang was compensated with 1.48 million yuan for the harm caused.
The report further revealed that 14 years later, Wang’s remaining kidney has deteriorated to the point that it now functions at less than 25% capacity. He will have to rely on dialysis for the rest of his life. Wang now deeply regrets his decision, calling the act of selling his kidney for an iPhone the biggest mistake of his life.
