Family of deceased girl accused of misusing crowd funding donations

A couple in Henan Province has come under scrutiny after they raised tens of thousands of yuan in crowd funding campaigns for their daughter, before opting to take a conservative approach to her treatment, reports Beijing Youth Daily.

File photo of Xiao Ya [Photo: Beijing Youth Daily]

Three-year-old Xiao Ya was diagnosed with retinal cancer in 2017. Xiao Ya's mother Yang Meiqin turned to crowd funding to raise money for the girl's treatment. When news of her death was posted online in early April, some volunteers claimed the girl's family failed to use the crowd funding donation on her treatment, deciding instead to take the girl home.

Local authorities confirmed that Xiao Ya had died on May 4. They said that in April they accompanied Xiao Ya and her family to seek treatment at hospitals in Taikang County and Zhenzhou City. But after they were told that the chance of recovery was slim, her family decided to return home.

Both Xiao Ya's mother and grandfather said to Beijing Youth Daily that doctors suggested taking a conservative approach to treatment as the cancer was already in the terminal stage.

Xiao Ya's grandfather said to Beijing Youth Daily that they collected 38,000 yuan via crowd funding, and that money was spent only on the girl's treatment. They said 1,000 yuan of the funds remained and would be given to their local government.

Staff from the Shuidichou crowd funding platform confirmed that they assisted local police with their investigation into the case, and that evidence shows most of the donation was spent on Xiao Ya's treatment.