The pitiable plight of a widow suffering from a brain tumor.

According to Ms. Thao, three years ago, she began suffering from headaches of unknown origin. Due to difficult family circumstances, she did not see a doctor but only bought medicine to take.

As 2023 began, her headaches became more frequent and increasingly severe, causing her to faint in the fields on several occasions.

Five months ago, she experienced severe headaches. During a hospital visit, she was shocked when the doctor informed her that she had a large tumor in her brain and needed surgery, otherwise her life would be in danger.

Seven years ago, her husband was diagnosed with cancer and passed away after a period of treatment, leaving her with two young children. She overcame adversity, becoming both mother and father to her children. Besides farming and raising cattle, pigs, and chickens, she also worked cutting acacia trees, stripping bark, picking tea, and weeding for hire to earn extra income.

Now that her eldest daughter is in university and her second son is in 10th grade, she has fallen ill. Her brain tumor has once again thrown her family into turmoil. She has to worry about her children's education while also borrowing money for her own medical treatment. Thanks to the help of her siblings and relatives, she underwent surgery to remove the brain tumor at K Tan Trieu Hospital (Hanoi) in mid-July 2023.

She thought the surgery was successful and her health would recover, but unexpectedly, during a recent follow-up visit, the doctor informed her that the tumor in her brain was still there and needed further surgery to remove it.

During the previous surgery, her family had to borrow nearly 100 million dong from everywhere, and they don't know where they'll get the money to repay it. Now, for another surgery, she and her children don't know where to borrow from. The poor mother said tearfully, "The head of the neurosurgery department at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said that this brain surgery will cost around 180-200 million dong. Many times I've wanted to give up, because my family is so poor, my children are still in school, and continuing hospital treatment will only cause them more suffering."

Understanding their family circumstances, the two children of the woman are well-behaved. Her eldest daughter, Tran Thi Linh, is in her fourth year at the University of Foreign Languages ​​- Hue University. Every time she comes home for summer or Tet (Lunar New Year), Linh takes advantage of the opportunity to find part-time work. Last Tet, during the cold, rainy weather, Linh rode her motorbike from her home (Thanh An commune) to the wholesale market in Vinh City every night to collect banana leaves to sell. Linh said: "Going out at night to collect goods like that is quite dangerous. Every time I take my motorbike out of the house, my mother worries, but I have no other choice."

Tran Cong Thong, the youngest son, is in 10th grade at Nguyen Canh Chan High School. Since his mother fell ill and they had to borrow money for treatment, the family's life has become very difficult. Cong had considered dropping out of school, but his mother and sister encouraged him to continue attending classes.

Over the phone, Linh shared: "Since my father passed away, I've been working part-time during summer breaks to earn money to help my mother. Even in university, I did all sorts of jobs: cashier, waitress, tutoring children. I have a relatively good foundation of knowledge; I can tutor and teach any subject, so many parents trust me. Besides that, I always strive in my studies and have won scholarships. I've received the 'Supporting Students to School' scholarship from Tuoi Tre newspaper, the SCRANTON scholarship in 2022, and academic achievement scholarships from various businesses…"

“My father passed away, my mother is seriously ill, and I never thought I would find myself in such a difficult situation. Now, I only hope that kind-hearted people and philanthropists will help and support me so that I can have enough money to treat my mother's illness. I hope she will recover soon so that she can see her children grow up and live out her remaining days peacefully with them, because she has suffered so much already,” Linh said.

Mentioning the plight of Ms. Thao and her child evokes sympathy from everyone in Thanh An commune. Mr. Nguyen Trong Thanh, head of An Phu hamlet, Thanh An commune, shared: "Her husband passed away, she's raising her child alone, and now she has a brain tumor. Ms. Thao's family is in extremely difficult circumstances. To pay for treatment, she's sold everything of value in her house. Ms. Thao's family desperately needs the support of the community."

All donations should be sent to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao, An Phu Hamlet, Thanh An Commune, Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province. Phone number:0376 538 499Bank account number:107872213049, Tran Thi Linh (daughter), VietinBank. Or the Communications Department of Nghe An Newspaper, No. 378, Le Nin Avenue, Vinh City. Phone number02388 600 006