The University of Hong Kong graduate said his decision to give away the money was made a long time ago.

“I believe they deserve a happy childhood just like any other child. That is why I decided to support them as much as I could.”

Yeung, an investment bank worker, also told children fighting the disease to always believe in their ability to recover.

“Even though the journey is excruciating, as long as you don’t give up, have faith in your recovery, and perhaps, one day, a miracle may happen,” he said.

Messages of gratitude and support have flooded Yeung’s posts on Facebook and Instagram.

His fiancée Christine Kwok said Gabriel was the bravest and kindest person she knew.

“I am very glad he can have an impact on others’ lives through his, [to encourage] other sufferers of cancer to carry on,” she said.

Yeung, who is currently hospitalised, is also a fan of English football club Everton and posted on a dedicated Facebook group in April sharing his love for the team with fellow supporters.

He said Everton games had given him emotional support for many years – even during treatment – although his beloved team did not “often win games”.

Vera Chin Ching-lan, CEO of the Children’s Cancer Foundation Hong Kong, on Friday said Yeung was in good spirits when she visited him earlier this week.

“He was very clear in communicating what he wanted to achieve with the donation and inquired about the work of the foundation,” she said.

“He is a very determined person. Once he decides that he has to do something, he will see it through to the best of his abilities.”

Chin estimated the donation could help around six to 10 children.

“We give out roughly HK$3 million to HK$4 million every year to about 40-50 applications,” she said, adding sums could range from tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands.

In particular, the foundation helps to subsidise drugs and therapies not included in the Hospital Authority’s drug formulary, such as apatinib for neuroblastoma and sarcoma, as well as alectinib for lymphoma.

She added that over 70 per cent of the proceeds the foundation receives are from public donations, with the remainder coming from different charities or corporations. The foundation does not receive government funding.

Chin told a radio show on Friday that she was very grateful for Yeung’s donation.

“Gabriel has specifically requested the money to be spent on subsidising drugs for children suffering from cancer, which will help minimise unnecessary pain as they go through chemotherapy,” she said.

Chin said certain targeted therapies were not on a list of subsidised treatments at present and could cost about HK$400,000, or even as much as HK$3 million, per instalment.

The high costs placed a huge burden on families, she added.

“I am very grateful for Gabriel, who has also helped raise social awareness on the matter, and let society understand that drugs help alleviate the pain of children with cancer and that we need resources to support them,” she said, stressing that all donations to her foundation go directly to patients.

The organisation also responded to Yeung’s post on social media, saying: “Most of all, it gives hope – reminding our young patients that there is a caring community behind them every step of the way.”

It added that his gift had empowered the foundation to continue its mission of improving quality of life and treatment outcomes.

Additional reporting by Jeffie Lam