23 years with a child's mind
Early on a weekend morning, Ms. Ma Ken (64 years old) and hundreds of people from Ka Don commune (Don Duong district, Lam Dong province) rushed to the commune's cultural house to wait for the medical team from Ho Chi Minh City to arrive.
Mrs. Ma Ken did not go alone, but held in her arms "baby" Toupơ Rong NT. 20 years ago - when the boy was only 3 years old - his grandmother took him in to raise, so that his parents could focus on working for hire to earn money. Toupơ Rong NT is 23 years old but his mind is like that of a 3-year-old child, his limbs are crippled and his eyes are dull, due to congenital cerebral palsy.
Mrs. Ma Ken carries her grandson with cerebral palsy to the clinic (Photo: Hoang Le).
Ms. Ma Ken said that because she had to stay in one place, baby NT suffered from severe bone and joint complications. A few years ago, through a charity, she took the baby to Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh province) for free hip surgery, elbow and leg correction, but the condition has not improved.
As for her children, because they have no land, NT's mother can only try her best to ask for hired work around, helping out with whatever jobs people hire her to do, but each day she only earns 50,000-70,000 VND.
The boy’s father had suffered from severe appendicitis in recent years, and his abdomen had become distended after an “explosion” (ruptured appendix) and his health had declined. Since then, the already poor family had become even more miserable.
Faced with the above situation, Mrs. Ma Ken was almost unable to take her grandchild to the hospital for treatment. Therefore, as soon as the medical team from Le Van Thinh Hospital (Thu Duc City) organized a program to examine, give medicine and give free gifts, NT's family was one of the first cases to be introduced by the local government.
Baby NT is examined by doctors at Le Van Thinh Hospital (Photo: Hoang Le).
Even though exhausted, do not abandon your child
Sitting waiting for her grandchild's turn to see a doctor, Mrs. Ma Ken said her dream now is very simple: to have more good medicine for her grandchild to take so that he can sleep well and have less pain. As for NT's cerebral palsy, she sees it as fate, and chooses to share the hardships with her grandchild.
Also holding her daughter named Po Dum ND to "ask for help", Ms. Mai Nhan (48 years old) shared that her daughter is 15-16 years old, but cannot live independently like her peers.
Continuing his wife, Mr. Gia Thanh (49 years old) said that when she was pregnant with her daughter, Ms. Nhan discovered it late, so she only went for an ultrasound when the fetus was older. The results of the subsequent imaging diagnosis shocked the couple, as the baby had a brain abnormality.
When the baby was born, he quickly developed strange symptoms, with a large head and frequent vomiting. At the local hospital, the last shred of hope they had was gone. Doctors diagnosed the baby with congenital hydrocephalus and said the condition was almost untreatable.
Not giving up, Mr. Thanh and his wife took their child to two major pediatric hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City to find a way to survive. From the age of 2, the child began to undergo surgery to resolve the hydrocephalus and relieve brain pressure, but there was little progress.
Mai Nhan's child has congenital hydrocephalus (Photo: Hoang Le).
During the long hospital stay, the baby developed complications of pleural effusion and had to go back to the operating table. Misfortunes never come singly, ND also had congenital heart disease, but his poor health prevented him from having surgery.
After months of treatment, they spent nearly 200 million VND. Finally, exhausted, they decided to take their child home.
Currently, Thanh and Nhan work as hired laborers to earn a living, trying to save money to pay for their child's medicine. ND's two older brothers have jobs but both have their own families to take care of, and their lives are not much better than their parents'.
Seeing the pitiful scene of the woman holding the "16-year-old child" in her arms, the medical team of Le Van Thinh Hospital coordinated to bring the child in for examination immediately, then ordered an ultrasound and electrocardiogram. With the patient's condition, the doctor said that the pneumonia problem must be treated first, then other conditions can be considered.
“Now that the doctor has prescribed good medicine to prevent the child’s pneumonia from recurring, I am very happy. As for the hydrocephalus, which has been present for more than ten years, there is probably no way to completely cure the child,” Ms. Nhan acknowledged the reality.
Despite financial exhaustion, Mai Nhan and her husband still tried to find hope for their child's life (Photo: Hoang Le).
Hope people get rich to take the initiative to take care of their health
Speaking to Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Duong Thi Thanh Tu, Secretary of Ka Don Commune Party Committee, said that the local population is more than 10,000 people, of which 52% are ethnic minorities K'Ho and Churu. People here mainly do farming, with an average income of about 64 million VND/year.
Because of economic difficulties, people hardly take the initiative to go for medical check-ups and screenings, but often wait for support from local authorities. Every year, there are charity groups coming to Don Duong, but they usually examine in groups, so the number of people in each commune who are cared for is limited.
Therefore, according to Ms. Tu, when the medical team of Le Van Thinh Hospital and the sponsor came directly to Ka Don commune to examine, distribute medicine and give gifts to more than 500 cases, it was meaningful and very practical for the locality. Because at least, many people have access to initial health check-ups, know what they are suffering from in order to adjust and treat.
People of Ka Don commune are examined and screened for many diseases by doctors (Photo: Hoang Le).
In the future, the commune leaders hope to have a way for people to develop their economy better and have the conditions to go to the hospital for regular health check-ups. In the near future, Ms. Tu hopes that each year there will be about 2 groups of doctors from higher levels coming to screen and provide high-quality health care for the people.
Specialist Doctor 2 Phan Van Duc, Deputy Director of Le Van Thinh Hospital shared that in the program organized in late May and early June in Ka Don commune, the medical team of the unit coordinated with other parties to provide general medical examinations, cardiovascular screening, eye examinations and common diseases for free to more than 500 people.
At the same time, the delegation also gave free gifts to policy households in difficult circumstances, people with disabilities, and lonely elderly people.
People leave after being examined and given gifts (Photo: Hoang Le).
According to Dr. Duc, the program not only carries out social security work but also creates conditions for learning and exchanging experiences between medical staff in Ho Chi Minh City and the locality, in order to better serve the medical examination and treatment needs of the people.
“We are not only here as professionals, but also with social responsibility. Our biggest wish is for people to have access to quality medical services, to better understand their health, so that they can work with peace of mind and stabilize their lives,” Dr. Duc expressed.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/chuyen-dau-long-cua-nhung-phu-nu-am-theo-tre-tay-chan-co-quap-mat-vo-hon-20250602120620664.htm
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