A lucky draw will be held at the first European Chamber Ball to raise money for Zhao Miao, a 12-year-old girl whose life is threatened by a massive tumor on her tongue.

The ball, which will be held on May 14, is being organized by the Shanghai Chapter of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

All of the money raised by the raffle will be donated to Zhao to pay for her future treatment.

Zhao, who hails from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has suffered from a blood vessel tumor on her tongue since she was an infant.

The growing tumor has made it increasingly difficult for the girl to breathe, sleep and eat.

Her mother, Miao Hong, a one-time teacher, has never given up her hopes and has been traveling around the country with her daughter looking for a cure over the years. The woman has spent all that she is able to earn on her daughter's medical bills. She lost her husband two years ago and her son, Zhao's elder brother, had to drop out of school because the family couldn't afford his tuition fees.

With donations from some kind-hearted locals, Zhao was eventually able to afford an operation at Shanghai No. 9 People's Hospital.

Shanghai Daily first reported their story in January, leading to a local company's donation that eventually enabled Zhao's operation. Before that, the mother and daughter had stayed in a shabby hostel near the hospital for weeks.

The operation was not a complete success, however, and Zhao will need more costly treatments in the future to have the tumor removed totally and safely.

The "First European Chamber Ball, Truly Ballroom," will be held on May 14 at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, from 7pm until 2am. Tickets to the ball are still on the sale and those who are interested can call 6385-2023.

(Shanghai Daily April 26, 2005)