We went to the Cardiovascular Respiratory Department - Vinh Long General Hospital on a late afternoon, where Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (born in 1965) was lying curled up. Her face was gray, her eyes tiredly closed in the sound of the dialysis machine beeping regularly, soulless.
For more than a month now, the hospital has become the second home of this miserable woman. Kidney failure and heart failure surround her, causing her health to be exhausted and requiring continuous blood transfusions.
Mr. Ngo Van Xoi - Ms. Thuy's husband - choked up and recounted: "End-stage kidney failure and heart failure suddenly struck in April 2025. She collapsed due to prolonged fatigue and continuous nighttime urination.
The notice from the doctor caused the family to fall into a deadlock: her kidneys are completely damaged, the only way is to have kidney filtration and periodic blood transfusions to maintain life. Seeing my wife in pain, I felt like my intestines were broken and I couldn't do anything for her.
Three dialysis sessions a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays is the only hope. But the cost of 3.5 million VND per week has exceeded the strength of a family without land or fields.
According to Mr. Xoi, previously, he worked as a security guard to have money to take care of his family, but since his wife was hospitalized, he was forced to quit his job completely to be on duty to take care of her. Prolonged treatment costs have caused the family to borrow everywhere, now it is no longer possible to borrow more from relatives because the debt is already too large.
Worry is even greater when thinking about her two young grandchildren. Her daughter is in trouble, her marriage is broken, she has to go to washing dishes for hire in Ho Chi Minh City to send money to support, but the meager salary is nothing compared to hospital fees.
Mr. Xoi wiped away tears, looking at his confused wife: "The two children still don't know that their grandmother's life is fragile. They are still innocently waiting for grandma to come home, but with this situation, I don't know how long I can hold on," Mr. Xoi added.
Ms. Le Thi Tam - a neighbor near the house - sadly said that everyone in the neighborhood sympathizes with Ms. Thuy's family's situation but is helpless.
Some contributed a few cans of rice, some gave a fish to share the difficulties, but the treatment cost was too high, so the help of neighbors only stopped at the level of holding on," Ms. Tam added.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Truong Le Minh Thong - Vice Chairman of An Binh Commune People's Committee - worried about the reality that many households are still poor, creating great pressure for social security work in the locality.
According to Mr. Thong, the whole commune currently has 61 poor households, 262 near-poor households and about 400 households in particularly difficult circumstances; in which, Ms. Thuy's family is a special case, regularly prioritized for support.
Ms. Thuy's life is now only counted by blood filtration times, the units of blood transferred into her body. If she has to stop because of lack of funds, the door of life will forever close for her.
More than ever, Ms. Thuy needs kind hands to hold her to overcome the line of life and death. A helping hand at this time is a priceless gift, helping the two children not lose their grandmother," Mr. Thong added.
Please send any help to LD26002 to the Golden Heart Charity Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Contact number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Contact number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
Or contact Mr. Ngo Van Xoi (Ms. Thuy's husband) directly, An Binh hamlet, Vinh Long province. Or via phone number: 0939936271
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