A simple Tet holiday in the dialysis "neighborhood".

In a small boarding house near Lao Cai Provincial General Hospital No. 1, Au Lau ward – home to 32 chronic kidney disease patients – the Lunar New Year arrives in a very different way during the last days of the year.

In contrast to the bustling atmosphere outside, the dialysis patients' neighborhood maintains its familiar rhythm of life: mornings spent in the hospital for dialysis, afternoons resting in their rooms, and evenings gathering to make chopsticks – the only means of livelihood for the patients here.

On the afternoon before Tet (Lunar New Year), a few men still strong enough were busy pulling carts loaded with bamboo and reeds back to their rented rooms. The narrow yard quickly filled with the sounds of splitting, whittling, and the dry clanging of bamboo against each other in the late-year chill. The work wasn't overly strenuous, but for those whose bodies were weakened by illness, every movement required immense effort.

The stronger men still take the opportunity to go and gather bamboo to make chopsticks.

Ms. Do Thu Giang (36 years old, from Thac Ba commune) meticulously whittled each bamboo chopstick, slowly saying, "I do this to stop thinking." For six years, she has lived in this rented room, spending three 4-hour dialysis sessions at the hospital each week. For many years, her life has revolved around her rented room and the hospital.

Each month, the cost of medicine, rent, and food amounts to tens of millions of dong. Therefore, after dialysis sessions, when she still has enough strength, she joins others in making chopsticks. Her fingers, calloused and sometimes swollen from needle punctures, patiently whittle each one. "When I'm tired, I rest for a while and then continue. I work not only to earn extra income, but also to feel useful," Ms. Giang smiled.

Patients in the dialysis center were making chopsticks while chatting about their New Year's expectations.

Most of the patients in this boarding house come from remote villages in the province. Their commonality is a fixed schedule of three dialysis sessions per week. Their lives therefore revolve around the word "hospital." Some have been here for nearly a decade, others have only moved here a few months ago. They call each other "fellow patients" but treat each other like family. Those who are healthier help those who are weaker. Thus, amidst the worries of illness, a small community is formed through empathy and mutual support.

Ms. Loc Thi Dung, originally from Muong Lai commune, has been living in this boarding house for five years. She recalls the early days when she first moved in, her body weak and unaccustomed to the demanding dialysis schedule. Some days, after a dialysis session, she would feel dizzy and unsteady on her feet. Her neighbors would take turns helping her back to her room, occasionally stopping by to check on her health. Ms. Dung said, "Everyone here understands each other's feelings, so we care deeply for each other!"

This mutual support doesn't just come from those in similar circumstances. The owner of the boarding house, Mr. Ha Ngoc Thuc, has long been a pillar of support for the entire small neighborhood. For many years, he has become almost familiar with the daily routines of the patients. He knows exactly who comes for their morning dialysis session, who returns late in the afternoon, who has complications, and so on.

Community support will ignite faith and motivation in them, enabling them to confidently navigate through challenging times.

Room rental prices are kept lower than the average, and water bills are waived. In cases of unexpected hardship, Mr. Thuc allows patients to defer room payments, and even waives electricity bills when patients have to stay in the hospital for extended periods. There were nights when patients had high fevers and chills after dialysis, and he was the one who took them to the emergency room. He enthusiastically assisted with all the heavy work. This quiet care helped patients stay strong during their long and arduous treatment.

On a late afternoon at the end of the year, after their dialysis session, a group of patients cleaned up the courtyard of their lodging house and then gathered around to make chopsticks, chatting about their hopes for the new year. Some hoped for better health, others hoped their children back home would excel in their studies. They also hoped their products would have a steady market so their efforts wouldn't be wasted, and they could save up some money each month for future hospitalizations.

"I just hope to have enough health to continue working and to see my children and grandchildren grow up," Ms. Loc Thi Dung confided.

Patients here hope that the chopsticks they make will be widely sold to help cover their treatment costs.

Because their dialysis schedule cannot be interrupted, patients only have time to return home for one day before rushing back to the hospital for their first dialysis session of the year. After that rare "day off," they return to their rented rooms and continue their hospital visits. In their cramped rooms, each person still tries to prepare a few things to create a spring atmosphere: a small flower, a new calendar, a simple plate of sweets placed on a small table. Everything is simple, but it contains the desire to live, to hope.

Tet in the dialysis "neighborhood" is not boisterous but profound; not extravagant but warm; not dazzling but brimming with hope. In the transitional moment, as the old year closes and the new year opens, the 32 people here remain optimistic, walking their own journeys with the belief that each passing spring is another opportunity for them to bravely overcome their fate.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tet-binh-di-o-xom-chay-than-post893756.html