In an old step-shaped attic deep in a small alley on Son Hoa Street, in Beijing Market (Hai Duong Ward, Hai Phong City), Mr. Nguyen Van Hung still swerved slowly onto a small, treadle wooden staircase. The house of less than two dozen square meters, with walls and blades, and a hot roof, where he and his wife have lived for decades and was also the place that witnessed a decision that changed his whole life: donating one kidney to save his son.
If you dont save it, you will lose your child
The memories of 21 years ago for Mr. Hung are still clear in every detail. At that time, his family was poor. He works as a hired carrier in the market, earning tens of thousands on a strong day, and leaving empty-handed on a day when the wind is out. His wife placed a box of watermelon in the corner of the market, selling it for as much as she could. Life is constantly difficult, but he and his wife still try to take care of their children's education.
Then one day, his son was still old enough to go to school, when his face suddenly swelled, his eyes started to leak, and his belly was extended. When I went to the doctor, the doctor said I had fatty kidney disease. "It was lying there with a well-drained face, sometimes it was difficult to breathe, and when I saw it, my bowel broke" - he said, his voice dropped. His family borrowed money from everywhere, so he cut down dozens of herbal remedies and treated them from traditional healer to traditional healers. But the condition did not progress, and even became more severe.
There were nights when he quietly turned to the wall and cried. The son saw his parents working hard, did not dare to complain, only told him: "My family is very poor, parents, don't worry about me anymore". Mr. Hung said that it was that statement that made him feel like he was being stabbed. I think if I dont save it, I will lose my child. But the house has no other way to turn".
When the hospital informed him that his child had kidney failure and needed a transplant if he wanted a chance to survive, he was almost uncertain. After 64 tests, the conclusion showed that one of his kidneys was suitable for transplantation to his child. "When I signed the document, I didn't think much. My children, my blood, it must be safe, he said.
The transplant was successful, the child's life was saved. But for Mr. Hung, the surgical wound and poor health after losing a kidney were the prices he had accepted before. No parent wants their child to live - he laughed gently, rubbing his hand at a long scar on his hip.
A special reward and difficult years
His kidney donation to save his child was recognized by the health sector at that time. He was awarded the "For People's Health" Medal by the Minister of Health. For Mr. Hung, it is not only a reward but also a souvenir of the difficult years that his family has gone through.
However, his family's life is still hunger in poverty. After the transplant, Mr. Hung could not work hard. His wife is old and her health is no longer as good as before, so everything in the house is also slower. The couple lived in an old, dilapidated attic, leaky in the rainy season and hot in the hot summer. The stairs to the attic are only one foot wide, and every time he steps, he has to stick to the wall to avoid slipping.
He said, at this age, there is no longer the labor force, every day when I sell a little snack in the market, I have enough money to eat, and every day when I can't sell, I have to endure. "I just hope to have Social Insurance and Health Insurance so that when I am sick, I can have a place to take care of my worms" - he said.
Mr. Tran Quy Suu - Head of Residential Group 25 said that Mr. Hung's family is one of the households with especially difficult circumstances in the group. "Mr. Hung once donated a kidney to save his child, living a humane life. But until now, the family is still very hard-working, with limited housing and health conditions" - Mr. Suu shared.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Chi - Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hai Duong Ward said that the ward is reviewing and will put his family in support for holidays and Tet, and at the same time calling on benefactors to join hands to help. "We will include the case in the discussion list and agree on appropriate support" - Ms. Chi said.
All help for Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's family should be sent to the Golden Heart Charity Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; STK: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; STK: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
