Chinese Man Receives 50 Tonnes Of Sweet Potatoes As Donation To Help Sick Wife

A Chinese man received a gift of 50 tonnes of sweet potatoes from a mystery donor to help raise funds for his wife's cancer treatment, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The generous donation, aimed at helping the man, identified as Jia Changlong, 35, has touched the hearts of many on social media.

Jia's wife, Li, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in July and was recovering at home after undergoing initial treatment. As per the report, Jia said that they have already spent 350,000 yuan (US$50,000) on her treatment.

Next, she requires a bone marrow transplant, estimated to cost around another 400,000 yuan.

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The couple were secondary school classmates and now live in Yantai, Shandong province. They have an eight-year-old son.

The report mentioned that Jia started selling sweet potatoes at a street stall in Jinan, Shandong province, to raise funds.

"The 350,000 yuan came from our savings and borrowing from friends and relatives. But now, we have borrowed from everyone we could. I even sold my computer. There is nothing left to sell," said Jia as quoted in the report.

"I just want us to be able to watch our child grow up together. That is our shared wish."

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A miracle happened in his life when a mysterious donor, surnamed Fang, contacted Jia via a messaging app, offering the sweet potatoes.

Fang, who grows sweet potatoes himself, wanted to help Jia, saying, "This young man is very responsible. He is going through a tough time, so I wanted to help."

Jia has been selling the sweet potatoes, labelling them as a "Gratitude Charity Sale". He is using the proceeds to cover his wife's medical expenses.

The story has touched many on Chinese social media. "This kind-hearted man's actions accomplished three meaningful things at once." one user said as quoted.

"He bought sweet potatoes from struggling farmers, helped the recipient contribute through labour instead of simply receiving charity, and gave ordinary people a way to help others by buying sweet potatoes. What a smart, kind-hearted and truly good person."