Man sells his kidney to buy iPhone, declared permanently Disabled after 25 per cent kidney function dropped, now lives on…

Now, 14 years later, Wang’s kidney function has dropped to just 25 per cent. He has to live on dialysis for the rest of his life.

A man from China’s Anhui province is still paying the price for a decision he made as a teenager, just because he wanted an iPhone. Back in 2011, Wang Shangkun was only 17 years old. He came from a poor family but dreamed of owning an iPhone 4, which at that time was seen as a symbol of status and wealth. After reading posts online, he was influenced to do something extreme, he agreed to sell one of his kidneys in an illegal surgery.

For the operation, he was given 20,000 yuan  (~RM12,000 or ~RM9,400 at the time). With that money, he bought himselfan iPhone 4 and an iPad 2. But soon after, his health began to fail. He got a serious infection, and his other kidney also started to weaken.

When his mother noticed the expensive gadgets, she questioned him. Wang finally admitted the truth, leaving her devastated. His health condition worsened, and doctors later declared him permanently disabled.

Authorities eventually caught the gang running these illegal surgeries, and Wang was awarded 1.48 million yuan (around S$268,000) in compensation.

Now, 14 years later, Wang’s kidney function has dropped to just 25 per cent. He has to live on dialysis for the rest of his life. Looking back, he calls selling his kidney for an iPhone the “biggest regret” of his life.