A man in Shunde, Guangdong province, was diagnosed with leukemia recently, shortly after he thought his troubles were over, having paid off his family's heavy debt, Guangzhou Daily reported on Thursday.

Wu Weitang, 28, was born into a poor farming family and had to leave school to work in 2005 as his father was suffering from coronary heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

The family borrowed some 200,000 yuan ($32,560) for the father's medical treatment but he died later that year. Wu's mother and elder sister also went to hospital for treatment after his father died, as they had worked so hard earning money for the father's treatment and to pay off the debt.

In order to pay for their treatment and clear the debt, Wu worked very hard and finally paid the debt in full early this year. He was very happy and planned to hold his wedding ceremony by the end of this year.

However, Wu was diagnosed with leukemia on Aug 16 and needs bone marrow transplants. The treatments will cost more than 700,000 yuan, which the family does not have.

Wu's company and a local media outlet have launched a campaign for him in the hope people will donate blood for transplantation and money for the treatment cost.