Moved by the wish to donate a kidney to a close friend of a patient with cerebellar atrophy

That is the situation and last wish of Mr. Phan Tuan Van (born 1972) in Tan Tho hamlet, Nghia Dung commune (Tan Ky - Nghe An).

We visited Mr. Phan Tuan Van's family.On a rainy afternoon, his 85-year-old mother opened the door to greet us. The image we saw was a pale, swollen man sitting in a wheelchair with his legs gradually withered and not having much strength to support his body.

Mr. Phan Tuan Van has end-stage cerebellar atrophy and currently moves around in a wheelchair. Photo: Le Chinh

Mr. Van, when he was healthy, was a business owner and motorbike dealer. He discovered he had cerebellar atrophy in 2014 during a trip to Hanoi for a medical examination. The disease has now been with him for 4 years.

Over the past 2 years, his condition has worsened. He has difficulty walking and has to move mainly in a wheelchair. His body is increasingly swollen, pale and tired. In addition, his eyesight is getting worse and worse, and he also has difficulty hearing and speaking.

He confided: “My wife left me after I discovered my illness in the 8th month, leaving behind 3 school-age children (2 girls, 1 boy in middle school). I was sick so my health became weaker and weaker and I could not take care of the children, so I sent them to my grandparents' house for care...”.

The daily life of Mr. Van and his mother mainly depends on his and his mother's small salary, which is only enough for a few meals a day.The family was broke and had to sell all their valuables to pay for his medical treatment. The only valuable assets left for Mr. Van’s family now are a few chickens and a wheelchair for him to move around. The house he lives in was mortgaged to the bank last year when he needed money to pay for his medical expenses when his condition worsened.

Mr. Phan Tuan Van registered to donate his organs to the National Organ Donation Center after his death. Photo: Le Chinh

Mr. HaHuyMr. Van's neighbor Tuan said: "His wife probably left him."For several years now, we have not seen her come home to visit. Aunt Van is now living with her old mother. She sent the children to her maternal grandparents' house to help take care of them. They only come home on the weekends. Her family's life is very difficult, and we, the neighbors around here, can only help her with some small things."

Mr. Van smiled sadly at us after being asked when he would be discharged from the hospital for treatment: “I have not borrowed enough money to go to the hospital for a check-up and pay for medicine. Each visit costs 7-10 million VND, now I don’t know who to borrow from, I have borrowed from everyone who could.”

Mr. Van went to the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation to register to donate his organs after his death. In particular, he wished to donate a kidney to his close friend (former classmate) Mr. Vi Van Ngu who was suffering from kidney failure.

Mr. Vi Van Ngu is a close friend who received a kidney from Mr. Phan Tuan Van. Photo: Le Chinh

Mr. Ngu's family situation is as difficult as Mr. Van's. Mr. Ngu discovered that he had hepatitis B and high blood pressure, and after a short time, Mr. Ngu discovered that he also had kidney failure. However, Mr. Van's concern is that Mr. Vi Van Ngu's family cannot afford to pay the cost of up to 200 million VND to perform the surgery, even though Mr.kidney donation

Mr. Vi Van Ngu confided: “I am very grateful for Van’s generosity in donating his kidney to me. But I am only grateful for his noble sentiment, because my family cannot afford the cost of a kidney transplant surgery, which costs hundreds of millions of dong, and for my family, it is an impossible dream...”.

Now, Mr. Van just hopes to live a day longer to see his children grow up and with his last wish is that Mr. Ngu has enough money for a kidney transplant to prolong his life. At the same time, Mr. Van is afraid that if he falls first, how will his old mother and children live?