On the morning of May 31, when we arrived at the National Children's Hospital, we learned that there were more than 2,000 children receiving inpatient treatment, many of whom were seriously ill and had to stay in the hospital for long periods of time. Many of the children we met at the "Children's Day on June 1st" program organized by the National Children's Hospital had cancer and were being pushed in wheelchairs by their mothers to participate in the free fair.
Diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer in October 2024, since then, Pham Quoc Dinh (12 years old, Duy Tien, Ha Nam ) has been confined to a hospital bed. Talking about her child's illness, Ms. Phan Thi Hop (38 years old) said with red eyes: "When my child had a headache, then dizziness, lightheadedness, and loss of balance, we thought he just had a normal headache. At the provincial hospital, the doctor diagnosed him with influenza A. But when he got home, his headache got worse, he vomited whatever he ate, the family took him to the National Children's Hospital and he had to have emergency surgery that night. After the surgery to place a drainage tube, the doctor informed the family that he had a malignant cerebellar tumor, I was shocked and couldn't believe it. My child's illness progressed so quickly, from the time the symptoms appeared to the time it was discovered within just 1 month."
Two weeks later, Dinh continued with the second surgery to remove the brain tumor. The large tumor had compressed many important nerves. The pathology results diagnosed him with stage 4 brain cancer, and he was then transferred to the 108 Military Central Hospital for radiation therapy. "He received 30 radiation shots, then went home to rest for a short time and then went back to the National Children's Hospital for chemotherapy. He has only had 2 rounds of chemotherapy, his body is still weak, he is often tired, and he eats poorly. I feel so sorry for him that I don't know what to do," the mother shared in pain.
According to Ms. Hop, after brain surgery, Dinh was paralyzed in all four limbs, his tongue retracted and he could not speak. When he was diagnosed with the disease, he was in 6th grade and has had to drop out of school ever since. "Every time someone asks about him or mentions going to school, he cries," Ms. Hop said, sniffling. Dinh is the second child in a family of 4 children, with a 10-year-old brother and a 3-year-old sister. His mother, who is only a housewife, has spent all her time taking care of him and taking him to the hospital since his illness.
"My four children and I have no home and have to stay at my brother's house in Bac Giang. My uncle also takes care of the children, and I take my children to Hanoi for treatment. Besides my siblings and friends helping me with the hospital bills, I have to borrow money for the rest. But no matter how hard it is, I will try to treat my children," the mother tearfully said.
Having been hospitalized for a long time and unable to move, Dinh longed for the fresh air outside the hospital. His wish was for his illness to improve so he could be discharged home. Celebrating the first Children's Day in the hospital, receiving many gifts, Dinh was very happy because he got to meet many other children and watch fun children's programs, which helped him somewhat ease his sadness and longing for school.
Celebrating the second Children's Day in the hospital, Hoang Anh Thu (13 years old, Thai Binh ) with bone marrow cancer said: "I am very happy to be in the hospital and still be able to celebrate Children's Day with my uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and friends. I received many gifts, from toys, backpacks, books to milk, candy, ... I really like them. The doctors also wished me good health, to try to treat well so I can go home."
Thu's mother - Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh shared that her daughter was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer 2 years ago. After 4 months of chemotherapy, her health was stable. But since March this year, her cancer has relapsed and she has had to go to the National Children's Hospital for treatment. Despite undergoing chemotherapy many times, Thu is still strong, resilient and tries very hard to study. "She has not missed a single year of school. When she was diagnosed with the disease, she was in 5th grade, now she has finished 7th grade, she studies well, only dropped out of school when she went to Hanoi for chemotherapy, after the chemotherapy she went back to school", Ms. Anh said.
In order for more than 2,000 inpatients to celebrate Children's Day, ease their homesickness and longing for friends, as well as encourage their spirit, the National Children's Hospital has coordinated with sponsors to organize the program "Children's Festival June 1st" with special stage performances, art performances, magic shows and 32 free fair booths along with children's play areas such as sand paintings, shoveling, electric cars, stringing beads...
According to Mr. Trinh Ngoc Hai, Deputy Director of the National Children's Hospital, in addition to treating children, psychological care for hospitalized children is very important, providing physical and mental strength, contributing to better treatment of hospitalized children. While many children are having fun with their families, here the sick children are still steadfastly fighting their illnesses. The hospital mobilizes many resources from society, joining hands to create a warm Children's Day for the sick children being treated at the hospital. This year, in addition to the program held on stage, the hospital also organized a free fair with 2,300 gifts for sick children, with a total cost of about 1.3 billion VND.
According to many children being treated here, they are all happy and excited about the program. One child just had surgery, and even though he was still learning to walk after surgery, he insisted that his mother let him join. "I was so sad in the hospital, I just wanted to go home quickly. But my illness has not been cured yet so I still have to be treated. Watching the performances on stage, I did not think I was in the hospital, but imagined I was going to watch a fun children's program at the theater like every year," shared Pham Minh Anh (8 years old, Hanoi).
In addition to the warm Children's Day program, the hospital's Social Work Department has connected and received treatment funding to support more than 500 disadvantaged patients with a total cost of more than 850 million VND and nearly 1,000 gifts have been sent to the children in the hospital room.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/nhung-chien-binh-nhi-don-tet-thieu-nhi-am-ap-trong-benh-vien-i770143/
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