Living with 'steel kidneys'

Ms. Vi Thi Thu, Tan Thanh commune, weighs only over 30kg, is in very poor health but currently has to take care of her husband who has terminal liver cancer.

3 generations of blood filtration

At the Department of Nephrology - Urology and Dialysis, Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, for many years, many people have considered the dialysis machine as an inseparable part of the body. One of the situations that the patients here say is the most "miserable" is Ms. Hoang Thi Diep, Trung Hoi commune.

She is only 40 years old but has been on dialysis for 14 years. Worse, not only does she suffer from this terrible disease, but her father and only son, who is only 21 years old, also share the same fate.

Three times a week, the mother and daughter pack up and go to the hospital from their hometown, while her father goes for dialysis at Dinh Hoa General Hospital. A few days ago, he fell and broke his leg, had to wear a cast, and was hospitalized for treatment. Amidst the illness and economic burden, Diep still perseveres every day.

Ms. Diep recalls: In 2011, I had severe back pain and had to urinate dozens of times at night. The district hospital could not find the cause. When I returned to Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, the doctor told me I had severe kidney failure and needed dialysis immediately. My ears were ringing, I fainted, and I thought I would not survive.

Thanks to the encouragement of her husband, children and relatives, she gradually calmed down. When she was still healthy, she personally wrapped banh chung to sell, and saved every penny to buy medicine and supplements. In addition to kidney disease, she also had a leaky heart valve and hyperthyroidism. Her already weak body became even more exhausted.

Once, after 2 years of dialysis, thinking that she might not live long, she quietly went looking for someone to... marry her husband, fearing that he would be a "single father raising children". But her husband - Mr. Ly Trong Huan - dismissed that thought. He said: If you are no longer here, I will stay single. The seemingly simple sentence continued but gave her another source of life. Both her and her husband got married because of their first love: She smiled and said.

Then, when talking about her son, her voice dropped: My husband and I only have him. Now he is also sick, before he was healthy and weighed 85kg, now he weighs 48kg, weaker than his mother. I feel so sorry for him… I don’t know what will happen in the future.

Her mother-in-law's family had many hardships, and her husband's family was no less difficult. Her mother-in-law was bedridden for more than 3 years, and then passed away 2 months ago. Before that, her father-in-law was bedridden for nearly 2 years and then passed away. During those years, her husband spent time taking care of his elderly parents, then rushing to take care of his wife and children.

After his mother-in-law passed away, Mr. Huan started working as a roofer to earn extra money. But the family's income, plus three acres of rice fields, was only enough to cover meals and the most essential medicines for his wife and children. Every month, even if they were frugal, the expenses for the two of them were about 6 million VND.

The burden on thin shoulders

Mr. Ma Xuan Tinh, Dinh Hoa commune, is always optimistic despite his declining health.

In a corner of the hospital corridor, Mrs. Vi Thi Thu, from Tan Thanh commune, quietly waited for her turn for dialysis. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken from lack of sleep. For 18 years of dialysis, she had lived in a cramped, damp rented house near the hospital.

At first, she sold fruit on the street. Later, an acquaintance introduced her to selling baked sweet potatoes. Every day, she woke up at 2am to start work. At around 5:30am, when the preparations were complete, she started pushing her cart to the area near the Central Hospital to sell. On days when sales were slow, she sat there until 10pm before returning to her rented room.

Before, she sold 30-40kg of potatoes a day. Now she only sells half, partly because of competition and partly because of her limited health. "Many people know my situation and buy to support me. I am very grateful," Thu said, her voice filled with emotion.

While trying to cling to that small income, she received news that her husband was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and was sent home by the hospital... Therefore, during this time, she no longer stayed at the rented place, but had to travel about 50km home and away 3 times a week. "There were days when I thought I had no more strength to breathe... But thinking of him waiting for me, I tried to hold on" - Mrs. Thu shared.

Her three children all work in a company, their income is not high, and they do not have much time off, so Mrs. Thu always tries to manage things herself, not bothering her children.

Nearly two decades living on computers

Ms. Hoang Thi Diep, Trung Hoi commune, her only son and biological father all have to undergo dialysis.

Ma Xuan Tinh, from Dinh Hoa commune, has been living on a dialysis machine for 19 years. In the early days of his illness, the district hospital did not have a dialysis machine, so every time he needed treatment, he had to travel a long distance to a higher level, wait in line for his turn, and pay all the expenses himself. Life in the countryside was based on a few fields, with an unstable income, not enough to cover the cost of medicine, food, accommodation, and treatment. Therefore, he and his wife decided to pack up and move to the city to rent a place to sell vegetables to earn extra income, while also making it convenient for him to receive long-term treatment.

"At that time, many people did not know what dialysis was. Every few weeks or so, we heard news of someone's death. I thought I wouldn't last long. However, thanks to my wife's will and care, I survived many rainy and sunny seasons. When I discovered my illness, my son was just over a year old. Now that he has joined the military , I feel somewhat relieved," said Mr. Xuan Tinh.

Now Mr. Tinh's health is getting worse, he can no longer help his wife sell goods. But his eyes still shine with rare optimism: Dialysis is still better than many cancer patients, who only live a few months. I've been on it for 19 years, what more could I ask for!

With hundreds of dialysis patients here, each has a different story. But they all share the same desire to live. Many people long to see their children grow up and become the pillar of their families.

In a place where there seems to be only illness and deprivation, extraordinary willpower still quietly shines.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/y-te/202507/song-bang-than-thep-52e19aa/