Deng Wanru, a migrant worker suffering from cancer, received 60,000 yuan (US$7,800) in donations from employees of the Shenzhen Municipal Labor and Social Security Bureau on Tuesday.

The bureau chief Guan Lingen, who initiated the donation drive in his bureau, also posted a message on the Web site www.sznews.com calling on each resident to donate 10 yuan (US$1.2) to help her.

The donation drive was started in April, a month after Deng, awarded "Excellent Migrant Worker" of Shenzhen in 2005, sent a text message to the bureau asking for help.

Deng, 33, migrated to Shenzhen from Heyuan in northeastern Guangdong in 1993. She was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma in September 2005, a few months after she won the award. But she had to start her own business after the department store she was working for went bankrupt at the end of 2005.

She was admitted to hospital in January 2006 for treatment.

In the past year, she had spent 200,000 yuan (about US$25,900)on treatment, which included her entire savings and money borrowed from her brothers and sister.

She still needs an additional 300,000 yuan (about US$38,800) or a marrow transplant, which is the only thing that will save her.

"I don't want to die. I still want to make my bit for Shenzhen," Deng said in her message to an employee of the bureau surnamed Li in March.

"Deng, who had worked in Shenzhen for 12 year, is a good example of 8 million migrant workers in the city, and we should do our bit to help her," bureau chief Guan said during an online chat Tuesday.

"We have raised 60,000 yuan (US$7,800) or the worker, but the money is not sufficient for her treatment, so here I call for everybody to donate 10 yuan (US$1.2) to help," said Guan, adding he hoped the city would establish a charity fund for cancer treatment as soon as possible.

"In a city loved by migrant workers, we will hold another charity event at the end of April to help Deng," said Guan.

Guan's online call received nearly 500 responses in just two hours, with many asking for bank account numbers to deposit the money.

According to Chinese law, only the civil affair bureau and charity organizations can receive public donations. Guan's bureau will contact other departments and arrange for donations to be collected.

(Shenzhen Daily April 19, 2007)