Located in alley 121 Le Thanh Nghi, Bach Mai ward, Hanoi, the boarding house has been called "kidney dialysis hamlet" for many years - a place where chronic kidney failure patients choose to stay for convenient treatment. For them, each further distance means more fatigue and increased costs.
Living in a house of less than 10m2 here, Ms. Bui Thi Tu (69 years old, from Chuong My ward, Hanoi) started dialysis in 2013. Without a husband and children, her parents died early, she does not have a private home to return to.
In the early years of developing the disease, although her health declined, she still stayed in her hometown and took a bus to Hanoi for treatment and then returned, the journey back and forth lasted for 10 years until her body gradually weakened, moving became overwhelming, causing her to rent a room near the hospital for more than two years to reduce the distance.
In a small room of a few square meters, her life is confined to a single bed, a few personal belongings and a fixed weekly dialysis schedule. Every time Hanoi's weather is erratic, the weather turns cold or humid for a long time, worry is clearly visible in Mrs. Tu's small rented room.
On days when the wind blows strongly, she has to stretch tarpaulins, use nylon to cover the door to block the wind, and on humid days, when the floor is wet and slippery, and the blankets are damp and cold, she silently cleans them many times a day. Poor living conditions, potential risk of disease, become a burden for people with background diseases for many years like her, especially after each dialysis session, her body is exhausted.
Before her body weakened and lost its working capacity, she used to pick water spinach to earn extra money for living expenses, each bunch of vegetables was only a few thousand VND, working a lot a day also only earned a few tens of thousands, that meager amount was used to buy food and cover necessary expenses. However, now after each blood dialysis session, she has to lie down and rest for hours to be able to get up, so hired work in the fields is no longer feasible.
If I'm too tired, I take a motorbike taxi, on days when I feel better, I walk to Bach Mai Hospital for blood filtration, saving whatever money I can, because my finances are very tight," Ms. Tu shared.
Her life mainly relies on monthly support and help from brothers, along with necessities from philanthropists. Daily meals are therefore simple, just enough to be full to maintain strength for subsequent treatments.
In my hometown, I am staying at my younger brother's house, the rice field of more than one sao in the low-lying area is poorly cultivated, so it does not generate a significant source of income," Ms. Tu emotionally recounted.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Vu Van Duc, Head of Residential Group 78, Bach Mai Ward, Hanoi, said that Ms. Bui Thi Tu has been on dialysis for 13 years and also suffers from many other diseases such as thyroid, cardiovascular, blood pressure, and bone and joint diseases, causing serious health decline.
Notably, Ms. Tu lives alone, without husband and children. "Her current situation is extremely difficult, and she hopes to receive the joint support of philanthropists to have more opportunities to prolong her life," Mr. Duc said.
All help for life situation LD26078 please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem, 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.
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