Living with 'steel kidneys'

Ms. Vi Thi Thu, from Tan Thanh commune, weighs only a little over 30kg and is in very poor health, but she currently has to take care of her husband who has end-stage liver cancer.

3 generations of blood filtration

At the Department of Nephrology, Urology and Dialysis, Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, for many years, people have considered the dialysis machine an inseparable part of their bodies. One of the most "difficult" situations, according to the patients themselves, is that of Ms. Hoang Thi Diep from Trung Hoi commune.

She is only 40 years old but has been undergoing dialysis for 14 years. Even more tragically, she is not the only one afflicted with this terrible disease; her father and her only son, who is only 21 years old, share the same fate.

Three times a week, the mother and daughter pack their bags and travel from their hometown to the hospital, while the father undergoes dialysis at Dinh Hoa General Hospital. A few days ago, he fell and broke his leg, requiring a cast and hospitalization. Amidst illness and financial burdens, Diep still perseveres each day.

Ms. Diep recalled: "In 2011, I had severe back pain and urinated dozens of times a night. The district hospital couldn't find the cause. When I went 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 wouldn't make it."

Thanks to the encouragement of her husband, children, and relatives, she gradually regained her composure. When she was still healthy, she personally wrapped and sold sticky rice cakes, saving every penny to pay for medicine and supplements. Besides kidney disease, she also suffered from a leaky heart valve and hyperthyroidism. Her already weak body became even more depleted.

Once, after two years of dialysis, thinking she might not live much longer, she quietly went looking for someone to marry her husband, fearing he would be a single father raising their children alone. But her husband, Ly Trong Huan, dismissed that idea. He said: "If you're gone, I'll just stay single." This seemingly simple statement gave her another reason to live. She said they were both each other's first love.

Then, when mentioning her son, her voice softened: "He's our only child. Now he's also sick. He used to be healthy and weighed 85kg, but now he's only 48kg, weaker than his mother. I feel so sorry for him... I don't know what will happen to him in the future."

Her maternal family faced many hardships, and her husband's family was no less struggling. Her mother-in-law was bedridden for over three years before passing away two months ago. Before that, her father-in-law was also bedridden for nearly two years before dying. During those years, her husband devoted himself to caring for his elderly parents, while also juggling the responsibilities of providing for his wife and children.

After his mother-in-law passed away, Huân started working as a roofer to earn some extra money. However, the entire family's income, plus the earnings from three acres of rice fields, was only enough to cover meals and the most essential medicines for his wife and child. Even with extreme frugality, the monthly expenses for the mother and child amounted to about 6 million dong.

The burden on thin shoulders

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

Mr. Ma Xuan Tinh, from Dinh Hoa commune, remains 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 and her eyes were sunken from lack of sleep. For 18 years she has been undergoing dialysis, living in a cramped, damp rented room near the hospital.

Initially, she sold fruit on the street. Later, through an acquaintance's introduction, she switched to selling roasted sweet potatoes. Every day, she wakes up at 2 a.m. to start work. Around 5:30 a.m., once preparations are complete, she pushes her cart to the area near the Central Hospital to sell. On days when sales are slow, she sits there until 10 p.m. before finally dragging herself back to her rented room.

Previously, she sold 30-40kg of sweet potatoes a day. Now she only sells half that amount, partly due to increased competition and partly because of her declining health. "Many people know my situation and buy from me to support me. I am very grateful," Mrs. Thu said, her voice filled with emotion.

While struggling to make ends meet with her meager income, she received the devastating news that her husband had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and sent home from the hospital. Because of this, she could no longer stay in her rented room, but instead, three times a week, she had to travel approximately 50km back and forth. "Some days, I thought I wouldn't have the strength to breathe… But thinking of him waiting there, I tried to persevere," Mrs. Thu shared.

All three of her children work as factory workers, earning low incomes and having little time off, so Mrs. Thu always tries to manage on her own, without burdening her children.

Nearly two decades of living off machines.

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

Mr. Ma Xuan Tinh, originally from Dinh Hoa commune, has relied on a dialysis machine for 19 years. In the early days of his illness, the district hospital didn't have dialysis machines, so each time he needed treatment, he had to travel a long distance to a higher-level hospital, wait in line, and pay all the costs himself. Life in his hometown depended solely on a few acres of farmland, with an unstable income that couldn't cover the cost of medicine, food, and treatment. Therefore, he and his wife decided to move to the city, rent a room, sell vegetables to supplement their income, and make it easier for him to receive long-term treatment.

"Back then, many people didn't even know what dialysis was. Every few weeks, we'd hear news of someone passing away. I thought I wouldn't last much longer either. But thanks to my willpower and my wife's care, I managed to get through many seasons. When I was diagnosed, my son was just over a year old. Now that he's serving in the military , I feel somewhat at peace," Xuân Tình recounted.

Nowadays, Mr. Tinh's health is declining, and he can no longer help his wife sell goods. But in his eyes, there is still a rare glimmer of optimism: "Dialysis is still much better than many cancer patients who only have a few months to live. I've had it for 19 years, what more could I ask for!"

With hundreds of dialysis patients here, each has their own story. But they all share a common desire to live. Many long to see their children grow up and to be a pillar of support for their families.

In a place seemingly filled only with illness and hardship, extraordinary resilience still shines through quietly.

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