A 74-year-old woman who could not afford to get her teeth fixed has a dental appointment scheduled for next week, thanks to the generosity of South China Morning Post readers.
A story about Lu Le-thuong's misfortunes was published on March 17. The retiree, who lives alone in a public housing estate, has had problems with her teeth since she fell on her chin in January. Ms Lu was delaying her dental appointment because her savings were drying up.
Since then, about a dozen readers have called or written to the Post to find out how they could help. One person sent a cheque for $500 to contribute towards Ms Lu's dental fees. Others were told to contact Ms Lu's social worker.
Another donor was Dalip Daswani, 44, the owner of a trading company who agreed to pay for Ms Lu's dental fees and referred her to his own dentist.
'It's not nice for someone not to be able to eat because of their teeth,' he said. 'I know how that feels because I had some dental problems. I felt sad for the old lady. I know what it's like to have no one to look after you. I like to help kids and old people because they are the most helpless. When you're really old you need someone to look after you.'
Mr Daswani plans to meet Ms Lu at the dental office on April 1 to give her additional cash to help pay for her transport costs.