'Only using my meagre power as a public figure': Mickey Huang donates fees from writing columns to 7-year-old with cancer

It may have started with him having a public fallout with a magazine he was writing for, but Mickey Huang's bitter split has ended up making a huge difference to one family.

Earlier this month, the Taiwanese host quit as a columnist for news media CommonWealth Magazine through an enraged Facebook post on May 2, writing: "If you don't like what I write, I hereby resign.

"Thank you CommonWealth Magazine for giving me this platform, but if you strip my clothes and turn my mic off, then this platform is just breaking my heart."

The 51-year-old alleged that the magazine edited his work without his knowledge, and that an article of his had been published with a title change and "substantial text cuts".

"Did I do a terrible job or were you guys not able to find me? You're such a huge publishing house and I'm just a small fry, was my writing not good enough?" he asked.

Mickey wrote the next day in another Facebook post that he had donated four years' worth of fees from his 20 columns in CommonWealth Magazine to charity.

Taiwanese media ET Today reported today (May 31) that the donations had been made to the family of a seven-year-old boy named Zhe Zhe suffering from cancer.

Though the amount he donated is unclear, the report stated that it was a six-figure sum.

Speaking to Liberty Times, Mickey explained his reasons for donating: "I just found out that Zhe Zhe's father is a teacher after learning about his family background. To be honest, this is a profession that I respect very much."

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Mickey is a father as well, having welcomed a daughter nicknamed Yellow Corn with actress Summer Meng in May 2022.

Mickey added that his donation to Zhe Zhe was a small drop in the ocean, saying: "I am only using my meagre power as a public figure."

Zhe Zhe's family runs a Facebook page for the young boy, where they describe him as having been diagnosed at the age of five with stage four neuroblastoma, a cancer that primarily affects the immature nerve cells of children.

The page confirmed the donation on May 3, writing: "Oh my god, I saw a private message from Mickey this morning and thought I was dreaming. Hearing his voice messages felt even more surreal.

"We are grateful for his kindness."

Mickey responded: "Blessings to Zhe Zhe."

The boy's parents thanked him once again and wrote: "Your good deeds have made others follow, and we have taken another big step towards hope."

Mickey shared the fundraiser for Zhe Zhe on his own Facebook page, and donations for the boy's medical fees have exceeded NT$9 million (S$396,000) so far.

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drimac@asiaone.com