Chinese dad makes medicine at home to treat his dying son

Xu Wei holding his son Xu Haoyang, who was diagnosed with Menkes syndrome, at his home laboratory in Kunming in southwestern China's Yunnan province. Photos: JADE GAO/ AFP

Two-year-old Haoyang has likely just months to live - but the only medicine that can help his rare genetic condition is not found anywhere in China and closed borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic mean he cannot travel for treatment.

Instead, his desperate father, Xu Wei, has created a home laboratory to create a remedy for the boy himself.