A one-month-old baby was abandoned and diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

(Baonghean.vn) -From the moment he was born, Nam suffered from respiratory failure, his body was weak, and he lacked the warmth and care of his mother. After nearly a month of treatment at the Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Nam is now battling a life-threatening congenital heart defect all alone.

This is the heartbreaking situation of baby Nguyen Van Nam (1 month old) - currently being treated in the intensive care unit, Neonatal Department, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Seeing baby Nam lying alone in the hospital, without any family members to care for him, no one in the neonatal ward could hold back their tears of sorrow for the child's fate.

Dr. Truong Le Chi, Deputy Head of the Neonatal Department at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, recounted that baby Nam was brought to the neonatal department on April 24th by an elderly woman (the mother's maternal grandmother). Upon arrival, Nam weighed only 1.2 kg and was frail due to premature birth (around 28-29 weeks gestation). Furthermore, Nam suffered from respiratory distress and was admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment and monitoring. “The baby's maternal grandmother said the mother's name is T, born in 1993, residing in Tay Hieu Ward, Thai Hoa Town. Because of an unplanned pregnancy, T. didn't want to raise the child. We encouraged her repeatedly until she finally agreed to stay and care for the baby. When she arrived at the hospital, she didn't have a single penny, so the patients' families in the same ward and the doctors in the department contributed small amounts of money to help her care for the child,” Dr. Chi said.

The neonatology doctors took turns caring for baby Nam.

After 22 days in the hospital, Nam suffered from severe anemia and required blood transfusions from student donors. Thanks to the care and treatment from the neonatal ward doctors, Nam's health improved. However, an ultrasound revealed he also had a congenital heart defect. Seeing her grandson's critical condition and the family's financial difficulties, his grandmother reluctantly asked the doctors to take him back to their hometown. On May 14th, Nam turned blue, had difficulty breathing, and was readmitted to the hospital. However, after more than a week of caring for him alone, on the evening of May 22nd, the grandmother quietly abandoned the baby at the hospital and never returned. The only "possessions" she left for Nam were a plastic cup, a few diapers, and a box of formula.

Besides treating other pediatric patients, the doctors in the neonatal ward have now become "unwilling" mothers, taking turns caring for baby Nam. Without family support, the boy has been living on the help of other patients' families, doctors, and medical staff in the neonatal ward. Each person has voluntarily contributed a few tens of thousands of dong to buy milk and diapers for the baby, but their help is limited.

Doctor Chi shared: “Currently, Nam's health is out of danger and he can be discharged from the hospital, but he has no relatives by his side, so we have placed him under the orphan program. To treat his heart condition, we have to wait until he is 6-7 months old before surgery can be performed, costing approximately 20-30 million VND. Every day, we are raising money from doctors and allocating funds from the hospital to help him. We hope that kindhearted people will pay attention and help Nam's case.”

Children's Day is fast approaching, and while other children are being cared for by their parents and relatives, little Nam is battling illness alone in the hospital. More than ever, Nam desperately needs the loving embrace and support of the community.

Text and photos: Doan Hoa