China eatery owner closes shop briefly to donate stem cells to toddler; customers show support

A Chinese barbecue stall owner paused his business to donate stem cells to a three-year-old toddler and was rewarded by long queues of customers.Shao Sanhu, 33, from central China’s Anhui province, put his barbecue stall on hold for 13 days to carry out the Good Samaritan deed.He put a notice on the tarpaulin that covered his stall on April 18, saying that the business was on hold for a week because of a “family matter”.He also posted on his social media account, indicating that he was going to donate his stem cells to a “baby that he has never met before.”Customers throng the busy barbecue street stall as dusk approaches. Photo: HandoutShao’s stall had only been open for a month. He had to give away ingredients he had prepared and would lose about 20,000 yuan (US$3,000) in rent and staff salaries.His post went viral, receiving 26,000 likes and nearly 5,.Many said they would support the business on his return.On April 27, Shao successfully donated his stem cells to a three-year-old toddler with leukaemia, in Anhui’s capital city Hefei.On May 1, the first day of the five-day May Day holiday, he opened his business again and was surprised to see over 60 groups of customers queuing for him.Some even came from other provinces to pay his stall a special visit.Restaurant owner Shao Sanhu, above, lies in a hospital bed as he makes his stem cell donation. Photo: HandoutA person who flew and drove for seven hours from southwestern China said he was moved by Shao’s deed and wanted to meet him in person.Further ReadingAnother said: “Those willing to donate their stem cells must be reliable businessmen.”To accommodate the overwhelming traffic, Shao even had to advance his plan of moving to a shop nearby, to avoid troubling his neighbours.He also received help from the local restaurant and catering association, which lent him cooks and waiters to handle the customers, plus volunteer help from the Red Cross and Blue Sky Rescue.Many customers were also concerned about Shao’s health. He said he only had symptoms similar to low blood sugar following the donation and had fully recovered.Shao said the attention he received was pure luck. He did not want to become an online influencer, and wanted people to pay more attention to leukaemia patients.The notices that Shao placed on his stall saying his business was closed because of a “family matter”. Photo: Handout“We are still lacking stem cell donors. Speaking from my own experience, it is a safe procedure,” Shao told Chinese media outlet Jiupai News.Shao registered with the China Marrow Donor Programme in 2019.By April 30 this year, the non-profit programme had nearly 3.8 million registered donors, and over 22,000 people have donated their hematopoietic stem cells.China had its first hematopoietic stem cell donation from an unrelated volunteer in 1996. The donation number reached 5,000 in 2015 and the 10,000 milestone in 2020.On May 4, Shao posted that a follower told him that she joined the China Marrow Donor Programme because of him.She said she was afraid of health issues, but was reassured by his experience.