Mother gives up cancer treatment to save her child's life

Ca Mau Receiving the news that her daughter Thien An's liver cancer had relapsed and metastasized to her lungs in early 2023, Ms. Hanh stopped thyroid cancer treatment to save her child.

For the past 5 years, Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh (43 years old), in Hamlet 2, Tri Phai Commune, Thoi Binh District, thought her life would return to normal when her daughter Nguyen Thien An's (13 years old) liver cancer was under control.

Her mother-in-law has been bedridden for many years, forcing her to stay home to take care of her. The family's finances depend on the 6 million VND her husband earns as a construction worker. It's not much, but she says if she saves up, it's enough to pay off the debt and send her children to school.

In September 2022, feeling tired and having difficulty eating, Ms. Hanh went to the hospital for a check-up. Test results showed that she had thyroid cancer and an ovarian cyst that needed urgent treatment.

Hoping her condition would improve and she would soon return home to take care of her family, she borrowed money and went to the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital for surgery. The doctor told her to come back in a few months for chemotherapy.

But her mother's illness had not yet been cured, near Tet 2023, baby Thien An complained of abdominal pain and loss of appetite. At first, Ms. Hanh thought it was because her child had eaten something strange, but after going to the doctor, she found out that her child's liver cancer from 8 years ago had relapsed and had metastasized to the lungs. Holding the test results in her hand, the 43-year-old woman could not stand still, feeling the same pain and despair as the first time she received the news that her daughter was sick.

"For the past 5 years, her health has been recovering very well, so why is it spreading now?", she asked. Before that, Nguyen Thien An had undergone 10 chemotherapy sessions and had 1/3 of her liver removed.

Knowing that she could not afford to pay for medical treatment for herself and her child, Ms. Hanh hid from her husband and stopped going for chemotherapy, only taking maintenance medication to focus on treating her child.

The recurrence of liver cancer has metastasized to the lungs, forcing Thien An to go to Ho Chi Minh City with her mother for treatment from the beginning of 2023. Photo: Character provided

During the 5 months of treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Hanh said that after every 21-day chemotherapy session, the mother and child went to a free motel near the hospital to stay. They asked for two meals a day from charity groups. She used all the money her husband sent to buy medicine, some cartons of milk or oranges to nourish her child.

When she first started taking the medicine, Thien An lay lethargic all day, vomiting every time she ate, making her emaciated, her body pale and yellow. The disease also spread to her lungs, causing her to constantly endure pain all over her body, having to sleep sitting up to breathe easier. "Seeing my daughter sitting up all night panting, I felt heartbroken, waiting for her to fall asleep so I could sneak out and cry," the mother said.

Being an only child, Thien An is very understanding. Except for the times when her body is tired and in pain due to illness, every time she is awake, the 13-year-old girl tries to help with the housework, then reminds her mother to take medicine and rest regularly.

"If Mom is healthy, then I will be healthy," the little girl's weak, whispering voice made Ms. Hanh tear up.

At the end of May, Ms. Hanh and her child were discharged from the hospital after four doses of medication.

As for Ms. Hanh, her health has declined a lot, she often feels pain and fatigue, but she has decided not to continue treatment because she has many other things to worry about. Every time she gets sick, she tells herself, "That pain is nothing compared to what I am suffering."

"If I also get treatment, where will I get the money to pay? I will only have debt on top of debt. My husband and I have a child, so we have to sell our house or do anything to save our child. I just hope a miracle will happen like it happened 8 years ago when my daughter's illness was cured," the mother said.

Mr. Tran Van Tuan, head of Hamlet 2, Tri Phai Commune, Thoi Binh District, said that Ms. My Hanh's family is one of the most disadvantaged households in the hamlet. "Earlier this year, we also considered putting her family on the list of poor households to enjoy support policies, hoping to reduce the economic burden," said the hamlet head.

Quynh Nguyen

With the goal of lighting up the faith of children with cancer, the Hope Foundation, in collaboration with the Mr. Sun program, launched the Hope Sun program. Another joint effort from the community is another ray of light sent to the future generations of the country.

Readers can view information about the program here.

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