THANKS to many kind people, a caring employer and Hangzhou's health-care policies, a man with a rare blood disease is able to pay astronomical bills - and he is recovering today. Xu Wenwen reports.

More than two years ago, Hong Lijun began his battle with a rare life-threatening blood disease that required urgent and repeated blood transfusions, a bone-marrow transplant and treatment that cost around 2 million yuan (US$292,900).

When his doctor told Hong, then 28, to set aside at least 200,000 yuan for initial treatment of acute aplastic anemia, the successful sales manager thought he had received a death sentence.

But his long story has a happy ending, thanks to helping hands throughout the city of Hangzhou. Everyone, it seemed, came to Hong's rescue. The list includes the city and its health-care reimbursement policy; Hong's employer, the Zhejiang Baicheng Group, fellow employees and friends, people in the community and online, as well as his wife.

From various sources he received around 2 million yuan.

Last week, Hong posted his account on the Internet.

Here's how it goes.

The year 2007 started out with great promise. Hong was promoted to sales manager, he bought a small house and got married to Lai Yahong. The couple had a baby at the end of the year.

Then came the bombshell about life-threatening anemia and the urgent need for 200,000 yuan. Somehow they came up with the money.

Mounting bills

But the number soared to 800,000 yuan after Hong's first surgery. After his personal health insurance contribution and his company's contribution, he still needed 400,000 yuan.

Hong and his wife Lai were desperate. They had used all their savings on the down payment on their home; mortgage payments are 3,000 yuan a month. His son was just an infant and his wife had quit her job when she was pregnant.

What's worse, Hong, the only breadwinner, could no longer earn a living.

Hong grew up as a country boy in the mountainous outskirts of Hangzhou. His parents invested heavily in college education for Hong and his brother. They could barely help with the huge medical bill.

Hong put on a brave face when he was first hospitalized, using one hand for unfinished office work, while the other was secured for intravenous injections. When friends came, he smiled and chatted, putting them at ease.

Lai, meanwhile, looked everywhere for help for her husband. And help did arrive.

In early 2008, Hong's employer, the Zhejiang Baicheng Group, launched a donation campaign to fund his medical expenses. That raised around 310,000 yuan, covering much of the initial expenses.

But bills kept coming.

Hong needed huge quantities of transfused blood - 230,000 yuan's worth - because his infected bone-marrow cells were unable to produce blood: He faced a medical emergency.

But all transfusion costs were covered because Hong had donated 1.6 liters of blood in the past few years. According to city blood donation policy, anyone who donates more than 1 liter of blood is entitled to free transfusions for the rest of his or her life.

Three months to live

Hong set a record - he was the volunteer who received the most free blood transfusions.

"There are probably 120 volunteers' blood flowing in my body," Hong jokes.

The first surgery and treatment were not very successful. From May 2008, Hong's condition deteriorated and he was often unconscious. One doctor predicted he had only three months to live.

Lai, his wife, was devastated.

Board chairman of the Baicheng Group, Ye Huizhong, stepped in and contacted a famous doctor specializing in treatment of acute aplastic anemia; Ye and Lai visited him at once.

The doctor said the only hope was a bone-marrow transplant in Beijing, the faster the better, given Hong's grave condition.

The company covered the airfare.

Finding a transplant match was the easy part; the fee would be 500,000 yuan.

By that time many of Hong and Lai's friends and family had given or lent them around 260,000 yuan. There were so many that they lost count.

Their residential community, Qinghe Community, sought help from a charitable organization and raised 20,000 yuan.

They borrowed money but they still needed 200,000 yuan.

Lai considered selling the house, but there was no time because the surgery was urgent.

Dedicated wife

Lai desperately decided to borrow money from Hong's company, if possible, putting their house up as collateral. She immediately promised Vice Chairman Cheng Weihua that they would sell the house as soon as Hong improved.

Although Hong, an excellent employee, had only been with the company a couple of years, they backed him totally.

Instead of taking the deed to the house, Cheng made out a check for 200,000 yuan, a gift from the company.

Cheng accompanied Hong and Lai to Beijing for the surgery.

Meanwhile, the company renewed Hong's two-year contract that was to end in late 2008. The human resources manager reassured Hong that his paychecks would keep coming, whether or not he was able to work.

"We didn't think a lot about it then. He was sick and needs money regularly, it's realistic," says Cheng. "It's not only about giving money but also mental support."

The bone-marrow transplant was successful. Not only did Hong defy the three-months-to-live prediction, he also went home to recuperate last month.

In 2008 and 2009, Hong spent about 1.9 million yuan for his treatment, basic living expenses and mortgage. He received 510,000 yuan from his company, 280,000 from friends, family and charity, 800,000 yuan reimbursed by health-care insurance.

"Although I experienced life and death during the two years, I saw warmth in the world," Hong says.

He thanks his colleagues and company leaders, he thanks friends and relatives, he thanks Hangzhou for its health-care policy and he thanks his wife who never gave up. He has saved more than 3,000 cell phone and computer messages sent to him by Lai over the past two years.

"You are my spiritual pillar, so you must stay alive and be with me," Lai said in one message.

"Dearest, you will be fine. My intuition tells me this. That's why I can be happy in front of you. I am not masking my feelings," she said in another.

"When will you be out of isolation? I want to embrace you even when you are sick," she asked.

He read these messages time and time again in his sickbed.

He posted his thanks: "I couldn't survive without the excellent city health-care policy, good company leaders, helpful friends and family and my dear wife."