Help Out: A Little Boy Needs Urgent Medical Treatment

We received an email yesterday from charity organization Roundabout pleading for help. Five-year-old Yang Bing suffers from neutrophilic leukemia. He is currently in hospital in Beijing awaiting a bone marrow transplant. While suitable donors can be notoriously difficult to find, the dilemma here is not about finding a bone marrow match. The boy's parents are, miraculously, both matches. So what's the problem? The transplant operation costs RMB 300,000 but Yang Bing's family has no means to raise the money.

As Roundabout struggles to raise funds, the situation is getting more urgent. Yang Bing's next chemotherapy treatment is scheduled for this coming Thursday – and every additional session of radiation therapy reduces the chances that a bone marrow transplant would succeed. Another RMB 210,000 needs to be raised by Thursday to give this boy a better chance of surviving.

Roundabout collects items like clothing and furniture for redistribution to unfortunate communities in China. In cases like this, they would usually make a bank transfer from abroad to obtain the initial funds. The money would then be made back later through events with local schools. But for Yang Bing's situation, there is no time to make the transfer. They felt that had no choice but to make this appeal to the public.

The charity has already received an overwhelming response from the community. You too can help this boy. A hospital account is being opened for donations. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact the founder of Roundabout, Leslie Simpson, by telephone (137 1877 7761) or by emailing RoundaboutChina@gmail.com.

And if you have the time, please make a visit to the Roundabout store. All revenue earned by the store this month will go to Yang Bing's cause.

Photos: Roundabout