Heartbroken 5-month-old baby with heart disease and severe malnutrition

(Baonghean.vn) - Just born, Truong Thi Nha Uyen, the daughter of Truong Van Quang and Ho Thi Hoan, in village 9A, Quynh Loc commune (Hoang Mai town) had a serious heart disease. Looking at her body, which was only skin and bones, crying day and night, no one could hold back their emotions.

The small house of Mr. Quang and his wife became desolate, covered in a gloomy atmosphere since the day they discovered Uyen was seriously ill. When she was born, Uyen weighed 3.2 kg and was normal like any other child. But for some reason, she refused to breastfeed and cried all day and night, her skin was yellow and she had difficulty breathing.

Although 5 months old, Uyen only weighs 2kg and is skin and bones. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Taking the child to Nghe An Children's Hospital for examination, the doctor concluded that the child had atrial septal defect and valvular stenosis but was too young to intervene. The family had to take the child home to take care of him, restore his health and wait for the day of re-examination and treatment. The child only drank formula milk, but his body could not absorb it, so he became increasingly stunted, his eyes bulged and his body was just skin and bones. Currently 5 months old, but he only weighs 2 kg.

Mr. Quang works as a driver but since his child got sick, he had to quit his job to stay home and help his wife take care of the children. With three children close together, one is 6 years old, one is 3 years old and in kindergarten, and Uyen is seriously ill, all the family's assets have gradually disappeared.

Ms. Hoan - Uyen's mother, said with tears in her eyes: "Uyen has never slept for more than a few hours because of the pain, her physical condition is exhausted, she is as weak as a withered leaf. We have no money, so every month when we go to the hospital, my husband and I run around to borrow money from relatives and friends."

Each time, the baby can only drink a little milk to sustain life. Photo: Thanh Thuy

The National Children's Hospital concluded that in addition to heart disease, Uyen also suffered from severe malnutrition and the cause of her illness was not yet determined. They advised the family to take her to Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City for timely examination. However, due to lack of money, the family had to take their child home.

Being a farming family, both husband and wife are currently unemployed, so all the financial burdens depend on the grandparents. Saying goodbye to the family, we could not help but feel sorry for the situation of the couple and Uyen. The image of the skinny child writhing in pain and having difficulty breathing, the small heart fighting against the disease is in dire need of kind hearts to help.

Thanh Thuy