Struggling to make a living after hours of blood filtration
The small alley on Le Thanh Nghi Street has long been familiar with the image of tangled clothes drying ropes, household items that make the most of the space outside the dilapidated rented rooms, only a few square meters wide.
This is the temporary shelter for more than 100 patients who are in a battle with kidney failure. Each person has a hometown, a situation, but they share the same pain of illness and a strong will to stay in the city for treatment.
Having been attached to this boarding house for 9 years, Ms. Tong Thi Thu Huong considers this her second home. Every 7 days of the week, she spends 3 days at Bach Mai Hospital to filter blood.
"We have 3 dialysis sessions a week, and there are only 4 sessions left to make a living," Ms. Huong shared. For the remaining four days, she went to sell street vendors to earn extra income.
The money earned is just enough to cover rent, and all other expenses must rely on the help of family and the community. She recalled that when she discovered the disease at the age of over 30, she had been depressed for 2 years.
Not only Ms. Huong, most patients in the group have to take advantage of every hour and every minute to be healthy and work extra. From driving a motorbike taxi, washing dishes for hire, picking up scrap metal to selling water in the hospital, there is nothing they don't do.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a patient who has been on dialysis for 22 years, said: "Whoever is still healthy should do it. Women go to the hospital to sell water and wash dishes. In winter, go out to play. We have to work to have money to cover our expenses".
The arduous work that was once hard for ordinary people now weighs heavily on the shoulders of those whose lives are measured by blood filtration.
A boarding house is a house, a neighbor is a relative
Although life is lacking and hard, the village of dialysis has never been lacking in humanity. The patients here consider each other as a big family, where they can rely, share and cover each other through disaster. The cramped, moist rooms suddenly became warmer thanks to the care and concern of people in the same situation.
Ms. Tran Thi Phuong, a patient in the hamlet, said that she lived alone here, her family had to work far away to earn money. When she was sick and tired and could not move, it was the neighbors who helped her.
"When I am sick, I am supported by stronger people. If I can't get to the market when I'm tired, the neighbors will buy food," Ms. Phuong said with a smile. The help is not only a bowl of porridge and medicine, but also a word of encouragement and comfort to help them gain more spiritual strength.
For them, the boarding house is not only a temporary shelter, but has become a real family. Together they went through painful days due to illness, shared each meal together, and encouraged each other to try together in the endless battle.
Although the future is still full of difficulties and challenges, the warm people in this small corner of the city are a solid support, a great source of motivation for each patient to have more determination, continue the journey to regain their daily life.
