From heart to heart

Rebirth of Life

In the new spring, on the porch of her small house, the elderly mother PTS (50 years old, from Nghia Dan district) cradles her "little princess" PKN (18 months old) in the sun, playing and having fun. The mother's laughter and the child's joyful shouts fill the air with immense happiness.

Ms. PTS's life has been a mix of joy and sorrow, boundless despair followed by overwhelming happiness. She recounts the hardships of her later years: She and her husband loved each other dearly, but fate was cruel, condemning them to infertility. Their longing to hear the laughter of a child remained unfulfilled when her husband passed away. Before his death, he still worried and urged her to "have a child so that we may have joy in our old age"... After the mourning period, remembering her husband's words, she traveled to a central hospital to "find a child" through IVF.

Baby PKN was born and grew up healthy and strong, becoming a great source of happiness for Ms. PTS. She poured all her love and hope as a mother and father into caring for and nurturing the baby. However, happiness was short-lived. At four months old, baby N. showed signs of cyanosis when crying and slow weight gain. When taken for vaccinations, the doctor discovered that the baby's heart rate was abnormal... Hearing the bad news, Ms. S. was extremely worried.

In November 2023, Ms. PTS brought her 6-month-old daughter to the clinic for examination and treatment.Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics HospitalHere, doctors discovered that the baby had a congenital heart defect (ventricular septal defect) with heart failure, requiring surgery. When she learned that the surgery would cost tens of millions of dong (after deducting the amount covered by health insurance), Ms. S. was completely devastated. “My husband and I are farmers. We’ve spent all our money on IVF before. Now I don’t know where we’ll get the money to save our child.”

In that desperate situation, fortunately, there were helping hands that rescued the life of her young child. Dr. Le Trong Thong – Deputy Head of the General Surgery Department and Head of the cardiac surgery team at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital – said: “The hospital has established a fund to support heart surgery for children in difficult circumstances. This fund is sponsored by organizations and philanthropists.” Ms. PTS was guided by the Social Work and Customer Care Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to prepare the application for surgical sponsorship. With the hospital's prompt coordination, the application was quickly approved.

“Baby PKN underwent surgery to repair a ventricular septal defect. After the surgery, her health recovered and progressed well. On the 28th day, she was discharged from the hospital and returned home. The surgery was fully covered by health insurance and donors. One year after the surgery, she is developing well, just like any other normal child. I don't know what more to say, except thank you to the hospital and the donors for giving my daughter and me a new lease on life,” Ms. PTS expressed.

Not only PKN, but many children from disadvantaged backgrounds have received free surgery and treatment for congenital heart disease at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. The case of NDL (21 months old, from Yen Thanh district) is one such example. NDL is the fourth child in the family of Ms. NTH. NDL was diagnosed with abnormalities in the seventh month of pregnancy, such as severe aortic coarctation (congenital heart disease), esophageal atresia, and duodenal obstruction. With these defects, the risk of death was ever-present.

Knowing that Ms. NTH's family was in very difficult circumstances (wife is a farmer, husband is a construction worker), Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital provided support, guidance, and assistance to help the couple obtain the funds for their child's surgery. Twenty days after birth, on March 13, 2024, baby NDL underwent surgery to treat major birth defects. The medical ethics of the doctors and the support of benefactors gave baby NDL the strength to overcome three miraculous major surgeries. Ms. NTH choked up, saying, "My child's life was saved thanks to the doctors and benefactors."

"The matchmaker" of joy

According to Dr. Le Trong Thong, statistics from the Ministry of Health show that in Vietnam, for every 1,000 children born, 8-10 will be affected.congenital heart diseaseThus, in Nghe An province, approximately 500 children are diagnosed with various types of congenital heart disease each year. If congenital heart disease is not detected and treated early, it can cause severe health consequences later in life, and may even lead to death.

Notably, most children with congenital heart disease come from disadvantaged economic backgrounds, living in remote areas and ethnic minority communities. Living conditions and congenital heart disease are closely related. The congenital heart defects in these children are often due to inadequate prenatal care during the first three months of pregnancy, such as poor nutrition and vaccinations. Meanwhile, a surgery to treat congenital heart disease costs between 80 and 300 million VND. This is a very large sum of money, even the entire savings of an average family.

With the desire to bring healthy hearts and a brighter future to underprivileged children with congenital heart defects, since 2009, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has implemented a program of cardiac intervention and surgery. At the same time, the hospital has also provided financial support to patients' families using its own resources. However, the number of children requiring intervention is very large... Since 2020, through the Provincial Children's Protection Fund, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has actively connected with philanthropists, agencies, and organizations to support these children and their families.

It is this partnership that has enabled Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to help many underprivileged children with congenital heart disease receive treatment and regain their health. Dr. Tang Xuan Hai, Director of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, stated: “From 2021 to the present, with the sponsorship of organizations such as “Heart for Children”, “Vietnam Heartbeat”, “Fund for Vietnamese Stature”, “Returning Childhood”, and other benefactors… 135 children have received free heart surgery at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. The total funding from these organizations and benefactors is 1.746 billion VND.”

For children with congenital heart disease in the province to receive surgery, treatment, and regain their health, the role of medical units such as Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital and the Nghe An Children's Protection Fund is crucial. These medical units and the Fund both seek out children in difficult circumstances to support and act as "matchmakers," building bridges of humanitarian aid to hospitals and benefactors.

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Each year, the Foundation collaborates with central and provincial hospitals specializing in cardiology to conduct 2-3 screening sessions for heart disease in children in the community and schools. After receiving the results, the Foundation and the hospitals guide families in preparing the necessary documents and submitting them to benefactors to solicit support for the children's surgeries. Based on the families' choices, the Foundation also provides further advice to help them select hospitals with appropriate specialties for safe and successful surgery. From 2020 to the present, through the Foundation's connections, 248 children with congenital heart defects in Nghe An have undergone successful surgery and treatment. The total amount of money donated by organizations and benefactors is nearly 17.4 billion VND.

Mr. Phan Sy Hien – Deputy Director of the Nghe An Provincial Children's Protection Fund