The pitiful situation of the family of a girl with thalassemia in Quy Chau

The rickety house of Mr. Lo Van Tuan’s family was built entirely of bamboo, with a thatched roof and a newly reinforced corrugated iron roof above. Inside the house, there was no valuable property except a bed made from many pieces of wood for the whole family to sleep on.

The house of Mr. Lo Van Tuan's family. Photo: Thu Huong

Born into a poor family, after getting married, in 2012 the young couple happily welcomed their first daughter Lo Anh Tuyet. Due to difficult family circumstances, the couple worked for hire all year round to earn money to take care of life. Although it was hard, because of their love for their child, they worked even harder. They thought their happiness would multiply when in 2018, their second daughter - Lo Thi Le was born.

Just a few days later, Le showed unusual signs, her skin was pale, so he took her to the emergency room. The doctor diagnosed that Lo Thi Le had thalassemia, also known as congenital hemolytic anemia, in a severe form, which could not be completely cured and only required periodic treatment to sustain life. The news was like a thunderbolt to the young couple.

“Since the day my child was born with thalassemia, every month my husband and I have taken him to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for a blood transfusion. Many times we did not have a single penny in the house, but in order for our child to be healthy, we managed to borrow money everywhere to have money to take him there. Since the day my child got sick, every penny my husband and I have earned has been spent on medicine and treatment for him, so life has been very difficult,” said Mr. Tuan.

When Le was 2 years old, Tuan and his wife gave birth to Lo Anh Vu and a year later, Lo Anh Hai. The already difficult life became even more difficult when there were 6 mouths to feed in the house. To try to raise the children, Tuan worked hard all month, not refusing any job, from cutting acacia wood, picking grass to carrying heavy loads... Working hard day and night, but still could not afford to take Le to the hospital each time.

The pitiful situation of Le's family in Quy Chau. Photo: Thu Huong

Mr. Tuan said: “Once I came home from work late at night, Le did not sleep but waited for his father to come home to ask: Dad! Can I go to the hospital for another blood transfusion? Why do I have to have blood transfusions so many times? When will I no longer need blood transfusions?... Hearing his questions, I felt extremely sad. With his illness, if he does not receive regular blood transfusions, he will have many complications such as: enlarged liver, spleen, heart failure... which are life-threatening.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a villager, said that Mr. Lo Van Tuan and his wife are in very difficult circumstances. The wife stays at home to take care of their young children, and Mr. Tuan is the sole breadwinner in the family. They have many children, and the second child is sick, so the money they earn is not enough to pay for hospital expenses, while Mr. Tuan works as a hired hand, sometimes with work, sometimes without. Seeing the children eat nothing but vegetables, a little salted fish, and only a little meat every now and then, I feel sorry for the skinny, pale children.

Medical staff are taking steps to transfuse blood for Le. Photo: CSCC

Mr. Nguyen Sy Luan - Chairman of Chau Hoi Commune People's Committee (Quy Chau) said: "Lo Van Tuan's family is a poor household in the commune. The family has many children, especially the second daughter has congenital hemolytic disease, so the situation is especially difficult. Understanding and sharing with the family, the locality as well as the superiors often care and visit during the holidays; especially supporting the family with a cow for livelihood so that they can have the conditions to escape poverty. The locality also directed schools to pay attention and reduce contributions for Lo Van Tuan's children; at the same time, continue to call on philanthropists and donors to open their arms of kindness to support the family more, helping the children have the conditions to go to school.