Moonlight of the Bald Children

In a small 8 square meter room with only enough room for a bed and a wardrobe, little Le Thi Thuy Linh is lying down drawing. The 5-year-old girl has bone cancer, discovered more than two months ago. This is her first Mid-Autumn Festival in her life, and she celebrates it with a large tumor on her right leg and a raging fever.

After two months in the hospital, Linh's face was completely shrunken, her weight dropped from 17 kg to 11 kg. She could not walk, so a wheelchair was her constant companion. Her grandmother, Ms. Sen, who is over 70, said that her father left when she was young, and her mother has suffered from depression since then. She raised Linh and her brother, who is in 5th grade this year, alone, so her finances have gradually been exhausted. The family lives in Nghe An, and she now has to rent a room in Hanoi for her child's outpatient treatment.

"I devote all my energy and wealth to Linh, just hoping she can get well again," she said.

Linh's cancer has metastasized, so her prognosis is very poor. The tumor is getting bigger every day. "For many nights, she couldn't sleep. Now I just want to be thankful for each day," said Ms. Sen.

Also having a child with bone cancer, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, 34 years old in Ha Nam, is busy feeding her little daughter dinner so that she can go to the party in time. "Although I am not in the mood to think about the Mid-Autumn Festival, seeing my child's excitement, I indulge her," Ms. Hanh said.

Truong Khanh Linh, 6 years old, was diagnosed with the disease in early June. At first, Linh complained of pain and aching in her legs, her family thought she was growing up or running too much. The pain became more severe, so her family took her to the doctor. The results at Hanoi Medical University and Bach Mai Hospital remained unchanged, the doctor concluded that Linh had a malignant tumor in her bone. Currently, Linh cannot walk in her right leg, and all activities depend on her mother.

"The day I heard my daughter had cancer, I was devastated and my family was in turmoil," said Mr. Cuong, Khanh Linh's father. He is a freelancer, while Ms. Hanh is a factory worker with a meager salary.

The little girl was preparing for the new school year when she fell ill. Lying on the hospital bed, Linh whispered in her mother's ear: "I will tell Hang that I wish to attend the opening ceremony, to go to school and for my parents to no longer have to work hard for me."

The Mid-Autumn Festival organized by K3 Hospital, Tan Trieu, on the night of September 10th had more than 1,000 child patients and their relatives participating. The children were excited to draw pictures, watch performances, carry lanterns, and celebrate with Cuoi and Hang. Children who were seriously ill and could not go to the hospital yard to play were given gifts at their beds by doctors and nurses. Mr. Nguyen Duc Ha, chairman of the volunteer club participating in the program, shared: "Children with cancer suffer a lot of disadvantages and need special care and attention."

Children and their families gathered together. Mr. Quang, 38 years old, father of a child patient, said this was the second year his child celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival at the hospital. "Seeing my child laughing and playing with friends, my heartache is somewhat relieved," he said.

Many children who had just had their legs amputated and were on IVs, still wearing IVs, were engrossed in watching and laughing heartily at the performances on stage. Little Truong Khanh Linh was given a wheelchair by the charity club, helping her move around easily.

"I thought I wouldn't be able to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival this year because I couldn't walk," Linh said while sitting in a wheelchair. "The Mid-Autumn Festival made me forget about the thought of having cancer and the smell of medicine."