Father infected with Agent Orange raises white-blooded child

(Baonghean) - 10 years after his wife left him, a father suffering from Agent Orange still carries his 5th grade son day and night to fight against incurable leukemia. That is the situation of Nguyen Van Duong (born in 1978), hamlet 9, Ngoc Son commune (Thanh Chuong).

Mr. Duong has been suffering from Agent Orange since birth, causing his limbs to cramp. He cannot do anything more than cook three meals a day for his family. His son, Nguyen Van Thang, is currently studying in class 5C at Ngoc Son Primary School. At the age of 4, after a severe fever, Thang was diagnosed with leukemia. Not long after that, in June 2006, his mother went to the South to work as a factory worker and has been missing since then. Since his wife left, Mr. Duong has been taking care of his unfortunate child alone.

Mr. Duong and his son Thang.

His family is poor, he and his father live in a small house built with the help of relatives and neighbors. There is nothing valuable in the house except for a set of old furniture borrowed from someone else and only one light bulb.

Although the family is poor and both father and son are sick, his love for his son is boundless. Talking about this special situation, Ms. Bui Thi Tuyet, a teacher at Ngoc Son Primary School, said: “It's so pitiful, rain or shine, Duong still takes his son to school and picks him up when it's time to go home. As for Thang, his health is poor these days, he only studies one day a week and one day a week. But Thang is very studious, many days he is tired but still tries to go to school. Only on days when he can't go do he stay home. Duong is unable to work, every month he and his son can only rely on the small amount of subsidy for Agent Orange victims. That amount of money is not enough for him to cover food and school fees for his son.”

Agent Orange disease caused Mr. Duong's limbs to cramp.

With Thang’s condition, he has to go to the hospital for blood transfusions three times a year, each time costing nearly 5 million VND. That amount of money is a worry for him and his father. He has no way to continue giving blood to Thang when his debt is beyond his ability to pay.

Discussing Mr. Duong's case, Mr. Tran Dinh Tam - Secretary of Thanh Chuong District Youth Union shared: "Mr. Duong is classified as one of the most difficult families in the district because he has not been able to escape poverty for more than ten years. His father has Agent Orange, his mother left him, and his only child has a serious illness. I only hope that there will be generous donors to join hands to help him and his children to ease their difficulties."

The father of Agent Orange is holding his young son with leukemia day and night, fighting for his life from the hands of death. Thang's illness is getting worse day by day, if he does not receive a blood transfusion in time, he will be in critical condition. Mr. Duong cannot afford the money to sustain his poor son's life at this time. He only hopes that kind hearts will come to his family to prolong the life of his poor son.

Hong Tham