Kindness in Action: A Classic Case of Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo Successfully Treating a Foreign Patient with Spinal Cord Injury

She was unfortunate, as at the age of 2, she was accidentally shot in the spine by a family member, leading to multiple unsuccessful surgeries; yet, she was also fortunate, because at the age of 7, she received the Xiao procedure from the renowned Chinese uro-neurosurgery Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo, healing her body that had been disabled for five years. She is Kelly, a beautiful girl from Louisiana, USA, and one of the many success stories in Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo’s 30-plus years of medical practice.

“I remember it was in 2008, while I was busy working in China, that I received an international call from the USA.” More than a decade later, Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo still vividly remembers that trip to America to save a life. “I was informed that a 7-year-old girl, Kelly, had been shot in the spinal cord at the age of 2 because her grandmother, who had suddenly lost her sanity, started shooting randomly at home. Unfortunately, Kelly was hit by a bullet, leading to incontinence. Despite undergoing various surgeries in numerous hospitals across the USA, her condition had not improved. She was also suffering from various infections, and her situation was not optimistic. They asked me to think of a way to help this poor child, and their story immediately moved me.”

By that time, Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo had already published his paper on the Xiao procedure in 1994 and had applied this surgical invention in clinical practice, treating many patients with incontinence due to spinal cord injury and giving them a new lease on life. Therefore, he was very confident in treating little girl Kelly. He asked for her detailed medical information to be faxed over, and after careful analysis and study, he determined that she was a suitable candidate for the Xiao procedure. He then decided to travel across the ocean to perform the surgery on Kelly.

What followed was a flurry of arrangements. On October 8, 2008, taking the opportunity of attending a conference in Boston, Professor Xiao flew to Louisiana to meet Kelly and her family. “The condition was more severe than I had imagined. The bullet had hit and damaged her spinal cord nerves, causing incontinence. Due to the lack of effective treatment for a long time, her condition had worsened, and she was suffering from severe hydronephrosis at a very young age.” After quickly completing the diagnosis and tests on Kelly, Professor Xiao arranged for her to undergo the Xiao procedure on the same day.

The surgery was delicate and required more caution and precision than it would with an adult patient. Professor Xiao spent several hours performing the operation, which was longer than usual. Despite being tired, seeing Kelly peacefully asleep after the surgery was a great comfort to him.

Even more comforting and exhilarating was the fact that, just as Professor Xiao had predicted, Kelly’s recovery was excellent. Just five months later, having returned to his home country, Professor Xiao received another international call, joyfully informing him that after a comprehensive examination, Kelly’s condition of hydronephrosis and incontinence had significantly improved! Since then, every year on October 8, the day Kelly had her surgery, regardless of how busy they are, Kelly’s parents send a heartfelt email to Professor Xiao to express their gratitude. They also regularly “report” to him about their daughter’s growth, a tradition that has never been interrupted for over a decade.

On June 20, 2019, the “2019 International Neurogenic Bladder and Xiao Procedure Summit and Training Class,” co-hosted by Xiao Chuan-Guo Hospital and the Shenzhen Medical Association, was held in Shenzhen. Over 100 medical experts and scholars from more than ten countries and over 20 top hospitals in China attended the conference. That summer, Kelly, who had just graduated from high school and become an excellent university student, came to China with her family. As her mother put it, “We came to personally thank Dr. Xiao and to tell doctors and incontinence patients around the world how miraculous the Xiao procedure is.”

On the second day of the conference, during the segment on successful cases, Kelly’s mother took the stage, tearfully recounting the tragedy that had befallen Kelly, the despair of her beautiful daughter’s incontinence, and the joyful childhood Kelly had after the successful Xiao procedure. Kelly stood by Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo the entire time, holding the hand of the doctor who was like a second father to her, unwilling to let go.

Seeing the young girl who was only seven years old at the time now grown into a smart, beautiful, and healthy university student, and witnessing many patients like her being freed from incurable diseases to embrace a normal life, Professor Xiao Chuan-Guo, who had devoted more than 30 years to the solitary pursuit of medical research, was deeply moved and gratified. He reflected, “The gratitude of patients who have been cured and can embrace a healthy life, that feeling, is timeless. Being a doctor is hard and tiring, and one faces many injustices, but moments like these make it all worthwhile.”