In Truong Phong village, Thien Cam commune (Ha Tinh province), the family of Ms. Hoang Thi Anh Tuyet (born in 1996) has lived in poverty for many years. Ms. Tuyet had to quit her job at home to take care of her sick child, while her husband, Mr. Thai Viet Quynh (born in 1985), did whatever anyone hired him to do, with unstable income.
Their three children include Thai Hoang My Linh (born 2016), Thai Viet Minh Khoi (born 2018) and the youngest Thai Viet Gia Bao (born 2020). Among them, Gia Bao has faced many diseases since he was still in his mother's womb.
According to Ms. Tuyet, when she was about 7 months pregnant, the fetus showed signs of abnormality, she had to be hospitalized due to threatened premature birth. On Gia Bao's birthday, the mother's joy of welcoming her child was quickly replaced by worry when the baby was taken straight to the neonatal emergency room by doctors. Because the mother gave birth against the prescribed line, the family had to pay for many more hospital fees. Ms. Tuyet only stayed with her child for a few days after giving birth and then had to return home, while Gia Bao continued to be hospitalized. The two mothers and children were about 20 days apart before they could meet again.
Seeing my child just born and already in the emergency room, I am very heartbroken, I can only stand outside hoping my child will recover day by day...", Ms. Tuyet recalled.
The days and months that followed continued to be Gia Bao's endless journey of treatment when his child returned home less than 5 days later and had to be hospitalized at Hue Central Hospital for severe pneumonia, complications from heart disease... Nearly 6 months old, baby Gia Bao was able to return home. But the joy of family reunion did not last long. After about a week, Gia Bao had to be hospitalized again... Hospitalizations followed each other, at times the baby almost lived in the hospital for many months.
When Gia Bao was 5 years old, the family continued to receive bad news: the baby had end-stage heart failure and visceral reversal, along with congenital pulmonary valve atrophy. From then on, Gia Bao's days at home became short. Every few months, the doctors let the baby go home for 3-4 days and then had to return to the hospital for treatment.
For many years, my children and I have taken the hospital as our home. There are times when we just want our children to be healthy to stay at home with their father and siblings for a little longer," Ms. Tuyet said choked up.
To maintain the treatment for her child, Ms. Tuyet's family has to spend about 10-15 million VND per month on medicine and related expenses. For a family with only a hired father, that amount of money is too heavy a burden. Without a stable job, whoever hires him, Mr. Quynh does it. Some months he earns 5-6 million VND, but some months he has almost no income. For many years, the couple has had to borrow money everywhere to have money for their child's treatment. To date, the family's debt has reached more than 1 billion VND.
While difficulties had not yet subsided, other upheavals continuously struck. In 2022, Mr. Quynh's mother had an accident and had to be treated in Hanoi for nearly 6 months. After being discharged from the hospital, she was paralyzed in one leg, and life became even more difficult.
The health of Ms. Tuyet and her husband also declined day by day. About a year ago, she was diagnosed with TIRADS 4 thyroid disease, with calcification, and was prescribed a cell culture for testing, but has not yet had the conditions to perform it. Recently, while visiting his child in the hospital, Mr. Quynh suddenly had a stomach ache. Going to the doctor, the doctor diagnosed him with enterocolitis and chronic gastritis. Due to inability to treat for a long time, the family asked to let him go home after a week. To date, he still has one side of his abdomen pain and the specific cause has not been determined. Poor health has forced him to quit his job. The person who was originally the sole breadwinner cannot earn money now, while treatment costs for Gia Bao are still steadily arising.
“Now my husband is also sick, and my child has to be treated continuously, I don't know how to manage. Before, when Mr. Quynh was still healthy, he tried to work to earn money, now he is in pain and has to stay at home, the family is even more difficult and poor...”, Ms. Tuyet shared.
Faced with the particularly difficult circumstances of her family, Ms. Tuyet really hopes to receive the sharing and help of philanthropists and readers near and far. Support at this time will be a valuable source of encouragement, helping Gia Bao have more conditions to continue treatment, and at the same time helping the family alleviate part of the burden of debt and drug costs that are piling up day by day.
All help for life situation LD26197 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.
