Visiting “Dream Hair Station”, I was impressed by the agility and optimism emanating from Hoang Thi Dieu Thuan, the owner of this special space. If anyone had seen Thuan’s image 13 years ago, when she had just undergone a stem cell transplant due to leukemia, they would have been surprised. Because the 25-year-old girl who was once mistaken for an 80-year-old woman at that time, has now become a beautiful woman, a “close friend” of hundreds of pediatric cancer patients.
Thuan's life is like a fairy tale. But the sweet ending does not come from a miracle, but is created by the love of the community and the extraordinary willpower of the girl herself.
Hoang Thi Dieu Thuan is one of 100 typical examples in the program "Kind deeds" of Vietnam Television, met byPresident Luong Cuong last April. |
“Like Sunflowers” Revived by “A Thousand Suns”
Born in 1987, in Quy Hop district (Nghe An province), Hoang Thi Dieu Thuan grew up in a poor family but always lived in the arms of love and warmth. Aware of that, the Tho ethnic girl tried hard to study with the hope of having a good job in the future to support her parents. In high school, Thuan passed the entrance exam to the Russian specialized class of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (Nghe An province). In 2005, Thuan was admitted to the Finance - Banking major (University of Economics , Vietnam National University, Hanoi). Holding the university admission notice in her hand with the dream of a bright future, Thuan learned that she had leukemia.
“My mouth had ulcers due to the side effects of the medicine, I was tired, had no appetite, and my skin was dry and dark. At that time, I only weighed 32kg, my legs were swollen, and I had to ask someone to carry me to walk,” Thuan recalled.
During the treatment, witnessing many familiar patients passing away one after another made Thuan fall into a state of giving up.
From a small, innocent, and cheerful girl, Dieu Thuan had to undergo endless tests, chemotherapy, and bone marrow aspiration at Department C8, Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. |
“During the first two years of treatment, I tried to go to school but I had no spirit. By the third year, I asked myself: 'If I am lucky enough to survive, how will I live?'. That question changed me. From then on, I started writing a diary, looking for ways to create joy so as not to collapse. The book "Like Sunflowers" was born from that," Dieu Thuan shared.
That determination not only came from Thuan himself but was also fueled by the love of everyone around him. “During my treatment, my mother was my legs. My friends cycled dozens of kilometers to donate blood for me when the hospital was in short supply. Every morning the doctor stopped by and called me “Snow White”. My high school friends wrote letters, sent songs, told stories on the radio… to help me feel more excited. Those things made me feel loved, and each day in the hospital was not as heavy as before,” Thuan recalled.
Few people know that after stabilizing her leukemia, in 2023, Thuan continued to fight breast cancer. Having fought cancer twice, Thuan is still as resilient as a sunflower reaching up to the sun.
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In 2012, doctors at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion suggested that Dieu Thuan undergo a bone marrow transplant. This was the young girl’s only chance of survival because otherwise, the disease would soon progress to acute leukemia.
“At that time, my family was in a deadlock because the estimated hospital bill for the surgery was up to 400 million VND. Then my story was published in the newspaper, and from then on, people called to encourage me, and people came to the hospital or my rented room to help. What I remember most is the motorbike taxi driver who gave me 200,000 VND and said: "You try your best, I also have a child in college, so I want to give it to you so you can have more strength". There were small envelopes filled with only 2,000 and 5,000 VND bills from students that made me extremely emotional", Thuan recalled with tears in his eyes.
Thanks to persistent efforts and helping hands, Dieu Thuan's stem cell transplant was successful beyond expectations. For a girl who had been fighting the disease for 7 years, and whose chances of survival were previously very dim, this was a dream come true, Thuan saw bright pages in her life.
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Live a "sunny" life
Overcoming the darkest period of her life thanks to the sharing of everyone, Dieu Thuan always wanted to continue that circle of kindness. In 2016, after her health stabilized, she returned to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, as a volunteer at the Department of Pediatric Blood Diseases.
Ms. Dieu Thuan said that in the beginning of her volunteering career, she mainly came to play with the sick children, and occasionally took them to buy clothes and food. After that, she organized classes every weekend, teaching the children to write, tell stories, and sing.
Hoang Thi Dieu Thuan and children in class. |
“I participated as an individual and did not ask for outside support. When I started the class, I sold my book “Muon anh mat troi” to raise funds and raised nearly 100 million VND. This money was used entirely for the class and volunteer activities here,” said Ms. Thuan.
While volunteering at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Ms. Thuan realized that besides pediatric patients, mothers taking care of their children at the hospital also faced a lot of mental and financial pressure.
The stories of the sick children inspired Hoang Thi Dieu Thuan to write the book "What Do You Wish For?" |
Based on that reality, in 2019, she proposed to the Institute's Social Work Department to implement the project "Mother's Hands". The project creates conditions for mothers to participate in embroidering handmade products, helping them earn more income and reduce their worries during long-term treatment with their children.
“At first, many people lacked confidence in their embroidery skills, so I had to convince them. I invited artisans from Nam Dinh to teach and self-study to accompany the mothers. Now, everyone actively participates, and their income depends on their diligence and skill, from 50,000 to 200,000 VND/day. No matter how little or much, the sisters are very happy,” Thuan said happily.
The main products are embroidered hair clips and embroidered fabric books. The output is sold online through the fanpage of the Network for Children with Cancer, Ms. Thuan's personal Facebook page and the office of "Dream Hair Station". |
Profits from the “Mother’s Hands” project will be used to contribute a part to the “I Wish” scholarship project. The program started in 2021, for students whose parents have cancer but have overcome difficulties and achieved high academic results. “Up to now, we have awarded 52 scholarships, worth 5 million VND each, to students at many schools across the country. The value is not large, but it is an encouragement for the students to know that they always have people willing to accompany and share in this journey,” Ms. Thuan shared.
By October 2022, Ms. Thuan continued to build the "Dream Hair Station" project, through which she received donated hair from the community and gave beautiful hair every month to patients at: National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, National Children's Hospital and Da Nang Oncology Hospital.
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“Through weekend classes, many children told me that after each chemotherapy session, all their hair fell out. When they were given a break to go back to school, they felt different and were shunned by their friends. Wigs often cause itching and discomfort, while real hair is too expensive, many families cannot afford it. From there, the ‘Dream Hair Station’ was born,” Ms. Dieu Thuan shared.
Up to now, "Dream Hair Station" has organized 3 big hair donation days, about 17,000 people participated in donating hair directly at the program or indirectly through the hospital and Ms. Thuan's office.
In 2021, the Network for Children with Cancer was officially established, and volunteer activities were organized more systematically by Ms. Thuan. In addition to regular projects such as: "Sowing Seeds Class," "Dream Hair Station," "Mother's Hands" and "I Wish for You" scholarships, the network also organizes drawing and embroidery workshops,... to raise funds, and at the same time implements gift giving programs for children on occasions such as: International Children's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival...
Bui Tien Manh (born in 2002, in Cau Giay, Hanoi), a former leukemia patient, always mentioned Ms. Dieu Thuan as a spiritual support during the most difficult period of his life. When he first discovered the disease, Manh fell into a state of depression and disorientation. But it was Ms. Thuan's book "A Thousand Suns" that helped him regain his faith to continue fighting.
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“The first time I got to blow out my birthday candles was when I was in the hospital, and the person who organized it for me was Ms. Thuan. During that time, she was always by my side, listening and encouraging me to have more strength to overcome the illness and have today,” Manh emotionally shared.
From a boy who was once desperate in the midst of his fight against cancer, Bui Tien Manh has today become a university student, carrying with him dreams and deep gratitude. Not only Manh, but also many other children have been silently accompanied by Ms. Dieu Thuan through the most painful days. With perseverance, dedication and a warm heart, she has instilled in them the belief and strength to overcome their fate. And from those seeds of hope, a generation has grown up step by step, carrying the light that she has lit in her life.
Article and photos: TRAN HAI LY
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/hoang-thi-dieu-thuan-doa-huong-duong-vuon-minh-don-nang-831119
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