Heartbreaking story of mother and daughter suffering from cancer

(Baonghean.vn) - Mr. Phan Thanh Tuan (born in 1990) and his wife, Ms. Phan Thi Thuy (born in 1991), in Hamlet 1, Nghia Binh Commune, Tan Ky District, had idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura when their first child was born. Now Ms. Thuy has stage 2 cervical cancer, making their lives even more miserable.

The commune's Youth Union regularly visits and calls on the community to help Thuy and her children. Photo: Phuong Hao

In October 2013, Ms. Phan Thi Thuy gave birth to her first daughter. Some time later, every morning when she woke up, she often saw dried blood stains at the corners of her mouth, many bruises appeared on her body, and her health declined. Taking her to the hospital, the hospital concluded that Phan Thi Anh Thu had the disease "idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura".

The family took him to see doctors everywhere but the results remained unchanged. After more than 6 months of medical treatment according to the treatment regimen of the Central Hematology Hospital, the cost of medicine alone was 200 million VND.

Recently, during the treatment, the child had to use a lot of Western medicine, so he suffered from adrenal insufficiency, mild liver failure and stomach ulcers. Every 3 months, the family took him for treatment.

Baby Thu at the Central Hematology Hospital. Photo: Family provided

The family works in the fields, working hard all year round but not enough to eat. Loving his son, Mr. Tuan tried to follow his brothers who worked as construction workers in the North to earn money to pay for and treat his son's illness. Since discovering his son's illness, Mr. Tuan's family has sold all their assets, becoming bankrupt and having to borrow hundreds of millions of dong, but the hope of saving their son is still very slim. The land that his grandparents gave him and his wife to live separately has also been sold to pay for his daughter's treatment.

Ms. Thuy with her first daughter. Photo: Phuong Hao

In 2016, Ms. Thuy gave birth to her second son. When her second child was only 6 months old, Ms. Thuy felt her health was deteriorating. She went to the commune health station for a check-up, and the commune health worker advised her to go to a higher level. Her family took Ms. Thuy to the K Hospital for a check-up, and the doctors concluded that she had stage 2 cervical cancer.

Pain upon pain. One period after another, the mother and daughter took turns staying in the hospital. Since the discovery of the terminal illness, the cost of medication alone for Thuy’s treatment has amounted to over 200 million VND, not to mention the many other expenses that come with each hospital stay…

Since the day she discovered her terminal illness, she was devastated but still managed to get up to continue living and taking care of her family. She said: "I try to live one day at a time for my child. I cannot live, but I hope for a miracle so that I can have enough money to treat my child and prolong his life. The doctor said that my child's illness is dangerous and if not treated in time, he could have a severe hemorrhage, especially an intracranial hemorrhage that could lead to death. I dare not think about it..."

Mr. Phan Van Thanh, Thuy's father-in-law, wiped away his tears and said: "The whole family has only one buffalo, but in this situation, we have to sell it. We have borrowed a lot from our relatives, and we don't have any more. We love our children and grandchildren very much."

Every day, Thuy and her children have to take many different types of medicine. Photo: Phuong Hao

Mr. Tran Van Thanh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Nghia Binh Commune, said: “The situation of Thuy and her children is very pitiful, both suffering from serious illnesses. The Executive Committee of the Commune Youth Union has also launched a campaign to call for support from philanthropists, organizations and individuals. The commune has also helped the family implement policies to have conditions for treatment, but the treatment time for Thuy and her children is still long and expensive, so Thuy and her children are in great need of help from the community."

Phuong Hao