Abandoned 1-month-old baby with congenital heart disease

(Baonghean.vn) -As soon as he was born, Nam suffered from respiratory failure, his body was weak and lacked the warmth and care of his mother. After nearly a month of treatment at Nghe An Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital, Nam is now fighting alone against a serious congenital heart disease.

That is the pitiful situation of baby Nguyen Van Nam (1 month old) - currently being treated in the intensive care room, Neonatal Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Looking at the scene of baby Nam lying alone in the hospital, with no relatives to take care of him, no one in the neonatal department could hold back their tears of pity for the baby's fate.

Doctor Truong Le Chi - Deputy Head of the Neonatal Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, said that baby Nam was brought to the neonatal department by an old woman (the mother's grandmother) on April 24. When he was first admitted, Nam weighed only 1.2 kg, his body was weak due to premature birth (about 28-29 weeks old). Not only that, Nam also suffered from respiratory failure so he was taken to the intensive care room for treatment and monitoring. "The baby's grandmother said the baby's mother's name was T, born in 1993, in Tay Hieu ward, Thai Hoa town. Because she accidentally got pregnant, T. did not want to raise the baby. We encouraged the old woman to stay and take care of the baby. When she was admitted to the hospital, the old woman did not have a single penny on her, so the family of the patient in the same room and the doctors in the department collected donations of money to help the old woman take care of the baby," said Doctor Chi.

The neonatologists took turns taking care of baby Nam.

After 22 days in the hospital, Nam suffered from severe anemia and had to be given blood from donated blood by students. Being treated and monitored by doctors in the neonatal department, Nam's health improved day by day. However, when performing an ultrasound, the doctors discovered that he also had a congenital heart disease. Seeing that he had a serious heart condition and the family was in financial difficulty, his grandmother had to reluctantly ask the doctors to take him home. On May 14, Nam turned purple and had difficulty breathing and was readmitted to the hospital. However, after more than a week of taking care of him alone, on the evening of May 22, the old woman quietly left the baby in the hospital for the doctors and was never seen again. The "property" that the grandmother left for Nam was a plastic cup, a few diapers and a box of powdered milk.

In addition to treating other children, the doctors in the neonatal department have now become “reluctant” mothers, taking turns to care for baby Nam. Without the care of his family, the boy has been living on the help of the patient’s family, doctors and medical staff in the neonatal department. Each person has voluntarily contributed tens of thousands to buy milk and diapers for the baby, but their help is limited.

Doctor Chi confided: “Currently, Nam's health has passed the critical stage and he can be discharged from the hospital, but he has no relatives nearby, so we have made him an orphan. To treat his heart disease, we have to wait until he is 6-7 months old before he can have surgery, which will cost about 20-30 million VND. Every day, we have to collect money from doctors and draw from the hospital fund to help him. We hope that benefactors will pay attention and help Nam's case.”

Children's Day is approaching, while other children are being cared for by their parents and relatives, little Nam is fighting his illness alone in the hospital. More than ever, little Nam needs the love and support of the community./.

Article and photos: Doan Hoa