The life-or-death battle of three individuals afflicted with serious illnesses.
The solidarity house in Cau Da hamlet, Tam Hop commune, symbolizes the community's support for the family of Mr. Quang Van Thanh, a poor household facing exceptionally difficult circumstances. The roof provides shelter from the rain and sun, but it cannot hide the physical and mental pain and the extreme hardship that engulfs the lives of these three individuals.
The pain in the house of national unity.
We visited Mr. Thanh's family just over a week after all three of them returned from the hospital. All three suffer from thalassemia, and complications have severely weakened their health. Mr. Thanh has difficulty walking; his lungs are swollen; his daughter, Ms. Lieu, has a tumor in her spleen; and his youngest son, Quang Van Tu, is now completely paralyzed in both legs and confined to a wheelchair. The three of them have spent more time in the hospital than they could have spent together.
Ms. Quang Thi Lieu shared: “Currently, my father is receiving a social welfare allowance of 750,000 VND/month; my younger brother and I each receive 1,000,000 VND/month. All three of us rely on this allowance. We prioritize paying for medicine. As for daily living expenses and food, the family still has to borrow and make do with what we have from various sources.”
The end of the struggle for survival.
On his old wheelchair, the youngest brother, Quang Van Tu, used to travel around selling cotton swabs to earn money to support his father and sister. But now, as complications from his terrible disease have gradually paralyzed his body, Tu can only wander from the house to the garden, doing the lightest tasks with his remaining strength.
Despite their yearning to earn a living through hard work, thalassemia has drained their vitality, leaving them with hands too weak to lift a bowl of rice and legs too unsteady to leave their homes to seek sustenance. Returning from the hospital exhausted both physically and mentally, these three vulnerable individuals now completely entrust their fate to the kindness of their neighbors, eking out a living day by day thanks to the generosity of their community.
Aspiration
Despite suffering from a terminal illness, Ms. Lieu remains the sole support for her frail elderly father and disabled younger brother. However, human strength has its limits as the pain from complications of thalassemia intensifies. For her, a seemingly simple dream of having enough health to care for her family has become a luxury as her body gradually weakens.
Ms. Lieu confided, "I also hope to have the opportunity to have the tumor in my spleen removed so that my health can improve somewhat. My spleen is too large, and now it's pressing on my heart, liver, and lungs, causing pain."
A life-saving surgery is a burning desire, but given their current circumstances, it's an unattainable dream. The three of them share a meager meal of wild vegetable soup gathered from the garden and a few eggs. These unfortunate souls in Cau Da village desperately need compassionate support, so that their flame of hope won't be extinguished by life's storms.
All support and assistance should be sent to the following address:
Quang Thi Lieu, Cau Da hamlet, Tam Hop commune, Nghe An province; account number: 3612.2052.53183, Vietnam Agricultural and Rural Development Bank - Agribank.Reporter in charge of the program: Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Dung, phone number: 0913.064.060.
