A desperate father was spotted last week at a public square in Hefei, Anhui province selling “bear hugs” to help pay for his sick son’s medical bills.
In 2015, Feng Kai’s 1-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. Relatives tried to convince the couple to give up on medical treatment because of the huge financial burden that it would put them under, but to no avail. Feng decided to quit his job as a mechanic so that he could care for his son.


Over the last two years, the family has racked up around 370,000 yuan in medical bills. To try and cover the costs, Feng has looked to borrow money wherever he can, but it hasn’t been enough.

So last week, the 25-year-old father decided to put on a bear costume and offer hugs for 10 yuan on the street with a placard around his neck to tell his story.




Unfortunately, few passersby took Feng up on his offer. According to Yitu News, in three days he had given out only seven hugs and received just over 100 yuan.

At this time, his son’s medical costs are running 1,000 yuan a day.

But fortunately, Feng’s story caught the attention and touched the hearts of netizens around China. Just a day after the photo story was published, Feng had received more than 180,000 yuan in donations from kind-hearted web users.

In China, many family members have faced the same situation as Feng. Without enough money to cover their loved one’s high medical costs, they are forced to resort to selling flowers, blow-up sex dolls or even their virginity to raise some cash.
[Images via Yitu News]