The family of Ms. Le Thi Hang (born in 1990) and Mr. Tran Van Long (born in 1986) residing in group 9, Phu Bai ward (Hue City) are struggling every day with adversity when all three children suffer from thalassemia.
The incident began in 2009, when Ms. Hang and Mr. Long's first son, Tran Van Quy, was born. It was thought that the joy of being a parent would be complete, but after only 3 months, the baby showed abnormal signs. After examination, doctors diagnosed the child with thalassemia - a dangerous hereditary disease, forcing lifelong treatment.
Before she could calm down, in 2010, Ms. Hang gave birth to her second child, Tran Thi Yen Nhi. Initially, the baby developed normally, but by the 8th month, the body began to turn pale and have a prolonged fever. The examination results caused the family to collapse once again when the baby also suffered from the same disease as his older brother.
In 2019, the youngest child, Tran Thi Nhu Y, was born and also did not escape the cruel fate. She continued to carry congenital hemolytic anemia, with symptoms such as enlarged spleen, high liver enzymes and weak physical condition.
For many years, all 3 children have had to live with illness. About 21 days, Ms. Hang rushed to take her children to Hue Central Hospital for blood transfusions. Severe blood shortages, the children had to stay in the hospital waiting for dozens of days...
Seeing my child in pain and I can't do anything, many times I am very helpless. Every time it's blood transfusion period, the whole family is worried because there is not enough money for my child's treatment. No matter how hard it is, my husband and I try to maintain the health of our children, so that they have a chance to continue living...", Mr. Long said sadly.
To maintain their lives, Quy, Nhi, and Y must take medicine regularly every day. Quy and Nhi alone have to take 2 special medicine pills each day; baby Y takes 1 pill. The cost of medicine and treatment for the children is nearly 20 million VND/week, becoming a huge burden for Ms. Hang's family.
Not only stopping at blood transfusions, Quy and Nhi both had to undergo spleen removal surgery when they were young due to dangerous splenic hypertrophy. Successive surgeries, compounded treatment costs, caused their families to fall into poverty and prolonged debts...
Meanwhile, the youngest child Nhu Y currently also has a large spleen, diagnosed by doctors at level 2, at risk of surgery. However, due to extremely difficult circumstances, the family does not have the conditions for the child to have surgery. Every time they have a re-examination, the worry of the disease progressing more severely weighs heavily on the shoulders of parents...
Knowing that my child would also have to have surgery like my siblings, but now the family no longer has the ability... seeing my child in pain makes me helpless and heartbroken," Ms. Hang shared.
The disease not only erodes health but also takes away the learning path of Ms. Hang's children. Due to the increasingly serious illness, baby Quy was forced to drop out of school from grade 3; baby Nhi also interrupted her studies when she was only in 8th grade. School days gradually closed, replaced by times of going to the hospital for blood transfusions and prolonged medication. Currently, only the youngest child Nhu Y is still trying to go to class in a weak health condition, often tired. The dream of continuing to study like her peers has now become distant...
Children's illnesses have made Ms. Hang's family's economy, which was already poor, even more impoverished. Ms. Hang was originally a freelance worker, doing whatever she was hired to do, earning about 3 million VND/month. She herself also suffers from kidney stones and bone and joint diseases but does not have the conditions to be treated. Mr. Long is a worker with a salary of about 6 million VND/month, becoming the main breadwinner of the whole family.
Ms. Hang's family has borrowed everywhere from relatives, villagers to banks... but it is still not enough to maintain long-term treatment for their children. Currently, each month, the three children only receive about 3 million VND in allowances - a very small number compared to the actual treatment costs. The grandparents on both sides are also old, in poor health, and cannot provide much support, so the burden falls entirely on the shoulders of the poor couple.
Ms. Hang said that the journey ahead for the three children is still very long, associated with the hospital and periodic blood transfusions. She hopes for the joint help of philanthropists to be able to continue to maintain the lives of her children.
Sharing with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Vo Son - Head of Group 9, Phu Bai ward - said that Ms. Hang's family is a particularly difficult case in the locality.
The three young children are all seriously ill, and the treatment costs are very high. We really hope to receive attention and support from the community to help the family overcome this stage," Mr. Son shared.
All help for life situation LD26083 please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Account number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Account number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
