1 month old baby with congenital heart disease needs help

(Baonghean.vn) - Just 18 days after birth, Tran Huu Thang (born May 4, 2017) had to be hospitalized for treatment because he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. He is currently in the isolation room of the National Children's Hospital, waiting for the intervention of professors and doctors.

Mr. Tran Van Manh (born in 1991) and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung (born in 1994) in Hong Son 2 hamlet, Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan, Nghe An) got married in 2016. Both are garment workers at Haivina Kim Lien Company Limited.

Manh's family has two brothers, but the older brother is disabled, Dung is the oldest of the two and is still in high school. "First child, early grandchild" so when Dung became pregnant, both families were extremely happy, the first grandchild was eagerly awaited by the whole family every day.

Thang is being treated at the National Children's Hospital and is on a ventilator. Photo: NVCC

The sacred moment when the baby was born made Manh and Dung happy beyond compare. However, after only 18 days, Thang suddenly stopped breastfeeding, his face turned purple, and he had difficulty breathing. The family rushed him to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, where he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Immediately, the hospital sent an ambulance to take him to Hanoi. At 10:30 p.m. on May 25, Thang was taken to the Emergency Resuscitation Department of the National Children's Hospital.

After being admitted to the hospital for treatment, Thang was given complete breathing support by a machine. Dung was only allowed to visit her child once. To ensure sterile safety, Thang and his mother had to be temporarily isolated. Every day, she expressed milk 7-10 times and put it in a designated place for medical staff to feed the child.

The joy of being a mother for 18 days, the feeling of love and protection for her child did not last long before she had to leave her child, while the poor little child had to fight a serious illness day and night, Dung's heart ached and ached. Dung could not swallow a bowl of rice, could not sleep, and had just given birth not long ago, making Dung exhausted, emaciated, and many times fainted in the hospital hallway. Mr. Manh was also in pain and heartbroken, but had to try to take care of and encourage his wife to eat and drink to produce milk to feed the child.

After being hospitalized for treatment, Dung was only allowed to visit her child once. Photo: NVCC

The couple had to rent a room for 200,000 VND per day to stay, eat street food and wait in the hospital corridor every day for their child. These days, Hanoi is sunny and hot, over 40 degrees Celsius, but it is nothing compared to the anxiety and impatience of the young couple when thinking about their newborn child who has just been seriously ill. Currently, Thang has acute pneumonia and is not cured yet, and he has a blood infection, so his health is very weak and cannot be treated for heart disease.

In hamlet 2, Nam Linh commune (Nam Dan), Thang's grandmother, Mrs. Le Thi Nhung, shared: she not only loves her child but is also anxious and worried about her grandson's illness, but also feels sorry for Dung who has just given birth and has not been able to rest, plus the burden of worries and inadequate food. Normally, after giving birth, a mother must rest for at least 3 months and 10 days.

Thang's grandparents' family situation is also very difficult, with 4 generations and 4 families living together, his paternal grandmother (who is a martyr's mother), his paternal grandparents, his disabled uncle and aunt who are unable to work, and Thang's family living together in a level 4 house in Hong Long 2 hamlet (Kim Lien). Grandmother Nguyen Thi Ba (87 years old) and her grandparents are always anxious and worried, but they can only call every day to ask about him and cannot do anything more.

Thang's grandparents' family situation is also very difficult, all 4 generations and his paternal grandmother (who is a martyr's mother), his disabled uncle and his wife live together in a level 4 house. Photo: Ha Linh

According to the treatment plan for Thang to have heart surgery and treatment for complications, it is impossible to calculate the time in months or years... Manh and Dung, both workers, had to take time off work to take care of their child at the hospital.

Both paternal and maternal families are farmers, earning just enough to eat. The paternal family has to support an almost 90-year-old grandmother and a disabled uncle and his wife who cannot work. All major expenses are covered by insurance for children under 6 years old, but additional expenses for long-term treatment require a large sum of money. Tran Huu Thang is in dire need of kind-hearted people to help him fight his illness and return to life.

Ha Linh