A man's wife and elder sister donated parts of their livers to save his life.

Wu Yanlin, who lives in Yongzhou, Hunan province, was diagnosed with advanced cirrhosis and liver failure on Sept 23, 2010.

He was taken to a hospital in Wuhan, capital of neighboring Hubei province, for a liver transplant. Since no donor livers were available for the operation, Wu's wife, surnamed Xia, said she would give him half of her liver.

However, doctors decided her liver was too small and cutting it in half would not result in enough liver to save her husband. Yet, giving him more would threaten Xia's own life.

After learning of the dilemma, seven members of Wu's family agreed to give their livers to Wu. His elder sister was found to be the most suitable donor.

On Nov 8, Wu underwent a transplant operation. Six months have since passed and Wu and the two donors are all in good conditions.

(Changjiang Daily)