A Chinese man selling flowers on a Beijing street recently dressed up in a red skirt, Beijing Times reported on Friday. The man did so to grab more attention so that he could make more money to help pay his son’s medical expenses.

The 31-year-old man, Dong Dajun, is from Shandong province in east China. His 5-year-old son, nicknamed Huihui, was diagnosed last October with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system.

Dong then quit his job and took his son to Beijing for treatment. A three-month treatment cost 220,000 yuan, 140,000 of which was borrowed from friends and family.

As the medical bills mounted, Dong decided to sell flowers so he could earn money for his son.

But the business did not go well in the beginning. He then came up the idea to dress up as a woman with a red skirt and wig so that he could attract more attention.

The idea soon worked. Dong said that he is really grateful to those warm-hearted people who bought his flowers.

However, the medical bills may eventually reach around 1 million yuan, which is hard for the family to afford. So he also hopes more people will lend a helping hand.