Donations

To make matters worse, many parents are too busy to look for work because they have to care for their children, ferry them to and from hospitals, and deal with emergencies, such as a dramatic drop in the number of blood platelets.

In desperation, Li Xiaojing, 25, who studied at a technical secondary school, sought help from the media. At the beginning of December, a newspaper launched a donation project for eight families, including Li Xiaojing's on its Sina Weibo micro blog. By the end of last month she had received just 3,000 yuan, while the other seven house-holds received far less.

Until two years ago, Shao Shanq in was a migrant worker in Shanghai, and his son Shao Liangyu attended a local primary school. When the father returned to Hefei, his son moved with him and started at a key middle school in the city. His good academic performance made him popular with his teachers and schoolmates.

When the 14-year-old was diagnosed with acutemyeloid leukemia, the school donated 40,000 yuan toward his treatment costs. The money didn't last long, though, and so his father approached the boy's old school in Shanghai to ask for a donation, even though he knew the chances were slim.

The boy's former teacher replied saying a donation seemed impossible because Shao Liangyu was no longer a student at the school, but he promised to tell the boy's former classmates about their friend's plight. Shao Liangyu received more than 3,000 yuan from the teacher and his old classmates, who also sent him many greeting cards.

"Their gracious donations moved us very much," Shao Shanqin said.

Street beggars

While some families have been the beneficiaries of donations, others have been forced to take matters into their own hands.

Zhang Min has been one of the most active parents, and has organized six families into groups that beg on the streets of Hefei every day.

"Because none of us had ever done this before, we felt embarrassed to beg on the streets on our own. If we beg together in a group, though, we don't feel so humiliated", she said.

Although many people doubt the stories and motives of beggars, some are still willing to lend a helping hand.

"If we were not in desperate need of help, we would never stand on street corners begging," Zhang Min said, adding that the money they make amounts to just a few dozen yuan per day for each of the seven families.

"Mistrust comes not only from passers-by, but also from urban management officers, who constantly moveus on," said Li Xiaojing, whose wife goes out with Zhang Min, while he stays at home or in the hospital with their daughter.

The money they raise seems like a drop in the ocean compared with the cost of the children's treatment, but Zhang Min said it at least meets the families' food bills.

"Faint hope is better than none at all," she said.