The pain of a veteran whose 3 children have terminal illnesses
(Baonghean) - Having given birth to 4 daughters, the eldest child suffered from a serious illness and passed away in 2002. Now the third child also suffers from the same illness, cannot walk and has to crawl, the youngest child suffers from epilepsy, blood infection, high liver enzymes, Mr. Dinh Xuan Cong and his wife are having to endure the pain to take care of and treat their children.
Mr. Cong joined the army in 1984 and was stationed in the southwestern battlefield of Cambodia. In 1987, he was demobilized and returned to his hometown to farm. He suffered from central nervous system damage, hearing loss, and an inguinal hernia. He had to undergo 21 surgeries but was still not cured.
He married Ms. Pham Thi Thuy (born in 1970), and had 4 daughters, but misfortunes continued to befall them. The first daughter, Dinh Thi My Linh (born in 1994), was born healthy and normal. When she was 5 years old, one day she came home from kindergarten and complained of leg pain and could not walk. Mr. Cong took her to all the Nghe An Children's Hospitals, the Central Children's Hospital... for treatment for years, taking medicine, acupuncture, and physical therapy, but she just limped on the hospital bed, and in October 2002 she passed away.
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| Mr. Cong and his wife and two children have serious illnesses. Photo: Ha Linh |
Then the third daughter, Dinh Thi Van Khanh (born in 2011), was initially healthy and normal like any other child. At the age of 2, her health gradually weakened and she often got sick. In 2013, Mr. Cong and his wife were in pain when they discovered that their daughter's legs were getting weaker and weaker. The signs of Khanh Van's illness and the treatment journey were similar to those of Ms. My Linh before. She often had high fevers and convulsions, her whole body was paralyzed, she could not walk or sit, and her arms and legs could not move. Even chewing and swallowing were difficult, her jaw muscles were stiff, so it was very difficult to feed her porridge or give her medicine.
Mr. Cong took the child to the hospital for treatment. The doctor concluded that Van Khanh had suffered from brain nerve damage and confirmed that it was due to the effects of Agent Orange. The child's illness would require long-term treatment. According to the appointment, after the Lunar New Year of Mau Tuat, the father and son will go to Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City for further treatment.
While her father and sister were going to hospitals in the South and the North for treatment, at home, her mother and her youngest sister, Dinh Thi Mai A. (born in 2014), had to "fight" epilepsy, blood infection and high liver enzymes. Occasionally, she had high fevers and convulsions, and because of high liver enzymes, she was not given fever-reducing medicine. At least once a month, A. had to go to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for treatment and emergency care...
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| Baby Van Khanh was initially healthy and agile, but became ill when she was over 2 years old. Photo: Ha Linh |
Mr. Cong choked up: "My wife and I really don't know what direction to take anymore. Every time we see a hospital or a doctor, we see a life buoy to hold on to, hoping for treatment to save our child's life." His wife, Ms. Thuy, has heart disease and often has to take medicine. Currently, they are trying to cultivate one and a half acres of rice fields to have rice to eat. Out of four children, only the second daughter is healthy and normal. After finishing school, she had to work to help her parents treat her two younger siblings.
Thanh Hoa Commune policy officer said that although Cong and his children were confirmed to be infected with Agent Orange, the documents were not sufficient to consider support for Cong and his children. To treat their children and maintain their daily lives, the debt that Cong and his wife borrowed from brothers, relatives, neighbors, credit funds, and the Policy Bank had reached over 100 million VND. The children's illnesses did not improve but became more and more severe. The level 4 house they were living in was the last asset that the couple had considered selling to pay off the debt and treat their children...
Tet is approaching, but Mr. Cong and Ms. Thuy do not know how to borrow 30 million VND to take their child to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment at Children's Hospital 2 after Tet. They really need the help of organizations, individuals, and philanthropists to help them have the conditions to treat their child.
Please send any help to Mr. Dinh Xuan Cong, Hoa Trung hamlet, Thanh Hoa commune (Thanh Chuong), phone number: 01658.064.756
Or Publishing - Social Activities Department, Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3 Le Nin Avenue, Hung Phuc Ward, Vinh City.
