A mother battling cancer struggles to support her two children through college.

(Baonghean.vn) - After undergoing 6 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, having her left breast removed, and receiving daily injections to limit the growth of cancer cells, her two daughters' education is the motivation for her to persevere and fight for life… This is the tearful story of Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh (born in 1968) from Block 1, Hung Nguyen Town.

In 2010, she noticed signs of breast cancer. After researching, she knew that if the disease was detected and treated early, there would be a chance of a cure. However, due to poverty, her husband's chronic illness, and her two children being of school age, she had to silently endure the suffering.

In 2012, her husband passed away after a long illness, and with her two daughters in crucial stages of schooling, she struggled to overcome her grief. In early 2015, when she could no longer bear the pain, she went to the hospital, only to be told by the doctor that it was too late.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh in front of her house. Photo: Ha Linh

For nearly two years, she underwent six rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, had her left breast removed, and received daily injections to limit the growth of the right breast. Recently, a check-up revealed a tumor had metastasized to the right breast. She doesn't regret hiding her illness or delaying treatment, because it's incurable. She has to dedicate all her time, money, and energy to her two daughters' education.

Weakened and afflicted by illness, Ms. Minh moves slowly, her face still pale, but when she talks about her children, her face radiates a powerful resilience and unwavering maternal will to protect them. She shows no weakness or fatigue, ensuring her children can go to school with peace of mind... She says she endures everything for their education, for their future...

Her two daughters are Cao Thi Hoa (born in 1995), currently a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Investment Economics, and Cao Thi Hong (born in 1997), a second-year student in the Faculty of Mathematics Education, both at Vinh University. When talking about her children, she feels most worried and regretful about her youngest daughter, Hong: she excelled in mathematics and dreamed of attending a prestigious university in the capital city, but due to poverty, her father's death, and her mother's illness, she had to give up… Despite having to care for her sick mother and missing a lot of school, she still scored 26 points on the exam. She feels so sorry and heartbroken for her daughter…

The dilapidated house contained virtually no possessions, yet the two daughters, both in college, still had to sit on their beds to study. Photo: Ha Linh

She has six siblings, and her husband has eight. Her husband served in the army for five years in Cambodia before being discharged due to poor health. He didn't meet her until he was 40 years old, and they finally got married. After getting married, she had to single-handedly manage the family, farming, housework, childcare, and caring for her husband. She toiled alone in the fields from dawn till dusk, single-handedly tending to five acres of land, leaving at dawn and returning late at night. In 1994, she managed to save enough money to build a small house in Hamlet 1, but it has since deteriorated, and her resources have run out.

The two children cycled long distances to school, and their relatives, out of compassion, pooled their money to buy them a used motorbike, so the two children now shared one. The mother constantly encouraged her children to study hard. The two children consistently won scholarships and certificates of merit from their school…

Now, due to her weakened condition, she can no longer farm, so she has returned some of her land. Only two plots of land remain, which her relatives and neighbors have kept to help her cultivate so she and her two children can have rice to eat. Therefore, the cost of the children's education and her medical treatment are pressing issues…

The Party branch secretary and the Block 1 leadership team (Hung Nguyen town) regularly visit and encourage Ms. Minh. Photo: Ha Linh

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung - Head of Block 1 shared: "Ms. Minh's family is currently facing great difficulties. She requires long-term treatment, is heavily in debt, and her two children are attending university, which is very expensive. Therefore, the Fatherland Front of the district, the town government, and the villagers all sympathize and hope that some benefactor will support and sponsor her two children's education."

We sincerely hope for the support of readers near and far so that the two daughters of this woman battling cancer can graduate from university, fulfilling the wish of a mother who is struggling to support her children's education.

Ha Linh