Would You Sell an Extra Organ for the Latest Tech?

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I have no idea if the story I just read in the Telegraph is true or not, but supposedly there is a 17 year old in China who is suffering from a renal deficiency after selling his kidney to be used in an illegal transplant operation.

He got 22,000 yuan (about £2200 or $3500) in the trade, which only sounds slightly better than a handful of magic beans; he used the money to buy a freaking iPad and iPhone.

Supposedly his mom only found out about the crappy trade when she asked him how he got his shiny new gear.

Seriously?

I get that there are only about 10,000 organs available for the approximately 1.5 million Chinese who need them, but why would anyone a. Sell an obviously in-demand body part for so low and b. Use the money to buy tech?

I mean, your body parts can last for upwards of 100 years! I defy anyone to name even one piece of current personal tech that won’t be obsolete by the time this boy would have become a century club member. Now it sounds like he’ll be lucky to reach 40.

According to the article, five people from southern China have been arrested for their part in the organ heist, and I am just blown away, left hoping that this story isn’t true. It couldn’t possibly be … Could it? =/

Chinese boy ‘sells kidney to buy iPad’

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.