A young father who has been dressing up in a T-shirt that reads “human punching bag, 10 yuan per punch” was recently spotted in a Beijing street. This was done to raise money in order to save his two-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with leukemia, and has attracted the attention of numerous passersby.
The father is called Xia Jun and is about 30 years old. He has displayed a donation box in front of where he stands, soliciting for “punches”, and the box is also covered with diagnosis certificates by hospitals reporting that he hopes to raise money for his son,reported Tencent.
Xia’s son Guo Guo was diagnosed with leukemia in October last year by a hospital in Sichuan province which suggested Xia and his wife come to Beijing to look for treatment for their son.
In July, Xia, along with his wife and mother-in-law brought Guo Guo to Beijing and saw doctors from three hospitals.
Xia said Guo Guo had a bone marrow transplant surgery on November 17th. and 18th. The medical fees now cost over 700,000RMB.
Wang Jingbo, Guo Guo’s doctor, said that Guo Guo suffers from acute myeloid leukemia and that it will take him at least two and a half years to go through the critical phase, including the three stages of rejection, infection and recurrence. “But the first year will be the most dangerous stage for him as he’s so young. His later treatment will cost around 400,000RMB” Wang added.
Xia had collected a sum of 10,000RMB from warmhearted passerby since November 27. He told reporters that he has sold his house in his hometown and borrowed another 40,000RMB from others.
Some passersby donated money to Xia while others doubted his intentions.
He admitted that he had been struggling with a way to raise money. In the beginning, he thought of begging on the street, but was afraid that nobody would pay him attention. “Different people would possess different opinions on this issue,” he said, “but maybe it’s the best way to help my kid. I have a clear conscience on this.”
Last month, a father dressing as woman sells sanitary pads on street to save his leukemia-stricken daughter.
By Lucy Liu
[Images via Tencent]