For nearly 4 years, in the small house of Mr. and Mrs. Hoang Thi Hoai Thuong (born in 1990) and Mr. Bui Viet Cuong (born in 1988), residing in Van Son village, Truong Ninh commune (Quang Tri province) almost only revolved around the treatment journey of their daughter Bui Hoang Quynh Nhu (born in 2012).
Previously, Ms. Thuong sold clothes at the market to help her husband cover living expenses. But since her daughter contracted a serious illness, she was forced to quit her job at home to take care of her child. All economic burdens fell on Mr. Cuong's shoulders with freelance work, doing whatever anyone hired him to do, with unstable income.
The incident happened on March 13, 2023, when Quynh Nhu suddenly showed signs of fatigue, edema, many bruises, nausea and poor appetite. Sensing something was wrong, the family took her child to the provincial hospital for examination.
The result shocked the whole family: Doctors diagnosed Quynh Nhu with end-stage chronic kidney failure and had to be urgently transferred to Hue Central Hospital overnight for emergency treatment. On March 14, 2023, Quynh Nhu entered her first dialysis session.
When the doctor announced that my child had end-stage kidney failure, I was like collapsing. I just hoped it was a mistake. Seeing my child so young and suffering, no mother can hold back tears," Ms. Thuong said choked up.
Initially, Quynh Nhu underwent periodic blood filtration. However, her body did not respond, she frequently had convulsions, and her blood vessels were small, so she had to change the route of infusion continuously.
Because her house is far from the hospital, traveling three times a week for dialysis is almost beyond the family's ability. After consultation, the doctors decided to transfer Quynh Nhu to peritoneal dialysis. She is also the first pediatric patient at Hue Central Hospital to have this method performed.
To place the catheter, Quynh Nhu had to undergo many surgeries. However, the difficulties have not stopped.
In the early days, her body was constantly swollen, blood pressure increased, convulsions occurred many times, and at times the filter fluid mixed with blood. Every 28 days, the family took her to the hospital for a re-examination and received a new filter fluid.
By 2024, Quynh Nhu continued to be diagnosed with heart failure - a common complication in patients undergoing prolonged dialysis. Then a series of other diseases appeared successively such as anemia, lipid accumulation disorders, high blood pressure, menorrhagia, ovarian cysts...
At one point, the filter tube was blocked, and I had to have surgery to re-implant the tube. Continuous prolonged seizures forced me to breathe oxygen to maintain my life.
Currently, Quynh Nhu has to have abdominal dialysis 4 times a day. Her body is increasingly depleted due to prolonged complications. She often has headaches, body aches, itching, insomnia, and gradually reduced vision. Nearly 4 years of fighting illness, she has almost no weight or height gain, and her skin is increasingly dark due to the disease.
Due to prolonged pain, Quynh Nhu eats very little. Each month, the family has to spend more than 10 million VND on milk, medicine outside the insurance list, medical supplies for peritoneal dialysis and travel expenses for re-examination. That is not to mention months-long hospitalizations.
Mr. Cuong alone goes to work and is only enough to cover some of the expenses for his child. The remaining money, the family has to borrow from the bank, relatives and rely on the help of neighbors.
Worry did not stop when on June 8, 2026, Quynh Nhu's younger brother was also diagnosed with kidney failure syndrome. After 10 days of inpatient treatment, she still has to take medicine daily and have regular check-ups. The two sisters take turns going to the hospital, making the already difficult life of the family even more difficult.
Nearly 4 years since discovering the disease, Quynh Nhu's journey has not stopped. In front of her is also a long treatment journey with a lot of costs. In that situation, the family really hopes to receive the sharing of philanthropists and readers from near and far so that Quynh Nhu has more conditions to continue treatment, nurture the hope of overcoming illness and returning to her true childhood...
All help for life situation LD26169, please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem Ward, 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.
