Father has become human punch bag to raise money for leukemia-stricken son

A young father who has been dressing up in a T-shirt reading "human punching bag, 10 yuan per punch", (£1.05, $1.60), has taken to standing on a street in Beijing, China, in order to raise money in an attempt to save his two-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with leukemia. Xia Jun, aged about 30, 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.



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 go to Beijing to look for treatment for their son. In July, Xia, along with his wife and mother-in-law took 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 700,000 yuan (£73,000, $114,000).



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 400,000 yuan", (£41,500, $65,000), Wang added.



Xia had collected a sum of 10,000 yuan, (£1,050, $1,650), from warm-hearted passers-by since November 27. He said that he has sold his house in his hometown and borrowed another 40,000 yuan ,(£4,200, $6,600), from others. Some passers-by 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."