Cancer patient’s noodles stir up good will

A back-alley noodle shop is doing booming business after its owner Li Gang, 42, asked for the public's help to pay for his cancer treatment in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

Customers have swarmed Li's noodle bar, following his plea in a local online forum, and after his story was picked up last week by Orient Today, a Henan-based newspaper.

The customers are not only devouring his shop's noodles, they have left donations totaling 60,000 yuan ($9,642), said dahe.cn, the official website of the Henan Daily.

Li, his wife and a friend run the noodle bar in a small alley in west Zhengzhou.

Li first made his plight known in November, when he asked Web users to come to his shop for a bowl of noodles so the family could make more money to pay for his treatment.

The local media reported on the noodle shop's increased business Wednesday, bringing in another wave of customers, some of whom pitched in to help serve the influx.

Jing Xiaomin, Li's wife, told the Orient Today Thursday that she is selling about 200 bowls of noodles at noon every day.

She told the Xinhua News Agency Sunday that she is keeping a record of everyone who leaves a donation and promises to try and return the money after her husband recovers.

"I went to Li's noodle bar for lunch today as did many of my colleagues, some also gave donations." Hai Ning, director of the Party Committee office of Zhengzhou Orthopedics Hospital, where Li is being treated, told the Global Times Monday.

Costumers are writing messages of encouragement on the walls of Li's noodle bar, said Hai, according to dahe.cn.

Hai said Li's shop only has about eight tables and lots of customers had to queue for a long time.

"I've been there three times and I'm very moved by the positive energy coming from the customers," Wei Xiaojun, a Zhengzhou citizen, told the Global Times.

Wei said that some who came for lunch volunteered their labor to help Li and his wife keep up with demand.

The hospital has also offered help with Li's treatment for bone cancer.

"We've decided to reduce Li's operation and recovery fees," said Hai.