Three generations struggling with illness
In the house of Mr. Pham Van Manh's family (born in 1982, residing in hamlet 8, Quang Chau commune, Nghe An province), the burden of illness is falling on the shoulders of a family that only lives on a few acres of rice fields.
Mr. Manh's family is considered a near-poor household. The family's main income comes from farming, life was already difficult, but successive upheavals made poverty even more deadlocked.
Mr. Manh's mother suffered a stroke, paralyzed since 2013 and had to have regular care. A year later, his father passed away from lung cancer.
Mr. Manh and his wife both farm and take care of their elderly mother. However, from 2020, Ms. Vo Thi My - his wife - was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to be treated. A year later, Mr. Manh was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer.
The two people who were originally the pillars of the family are now facing dangerous diseases, while behind them are their elderly mother and 4 children who need care.
According to MSc.BSNT Tran Thi Hau, Department of Internal Medicine 1, K Hospital, patient Manh was diagnosed with stage IV nasopharyngeal cancer in early 2021, after symptoms of headache appeared.
The patient was treated with induced chemotherapy, then chemotherapy and radiation therapy simultaneously and monitored periodically. During a recent examination, the patient developed headache, watery eyes, tinnitus and jaw stiffness. Through exploration, the patient was diagnosed with recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer" - Dr. Hau said.
Doctors are also concerned that difficult economic circumstances may affect the patient's ability to maintain treatment.
Four children facing a bleak future
Mr. Manh and his wife have 4 children. The eldest son, born in 2007, had to temporarily put aside his studies and stay home to work in the fields to help his parents.
The two daughters born in 2009 and 2013 are still of school age. Living expenses, tuition fees and hospital fees make maintaining their normal life a heavy burden for the family.
The most pitiful is her youngest son, who is only 7 years old. For more than a year, he has suffered from epilepsy and is often treated at the hospital.
Meanwhile, her parents are also fighting cancer, her grandmother has been paralyzed for many years and needs daily care.
Parents are in pain one, children are sick ten, we are in pain ten. We just hope to have the health to take care of our children" - Mr. Manh choked up sharing.
The burden of hospital fees weighs on poor shoulders
According to Mr. Manh, the income of the couple from farming is only about 5 million VND per month. This amount of money must be taken care of for the whole family, from food and living to medicine and treatment.
His cancer treatment costs alone in recent years have reached more than 200 million VND. To have money for treatment, the family had to borrow from relatives, family and neighbors. To date, the debt has not been paid.
Valuable assets in the house are also almost gone. While Mr. Manh's illness has recurred, his wife still has to be treated for cancer, and his youngest son needs to continue treating epilepsy, the burden is even heavier.
Mr. Manh's family is in great need of community sharing to have more expenses to continue treatment, and at the same time help their children have the opportunity to continue studying and the elderly mother have conditions to take care of them.
All help for life situation LD26204, 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.
