2 siblings suffer serious diseases

Both of the two sons of Nguyen Quoc Anh (born in 1984, Van Dinh Hamlet, Ninh Phu Commune, Ninh Hoa Town) have suffered from thalassemia. The two siblings’ health conditions are getting worse. Their family is facing many difficulties due to financial problems.

Siblings Nguyen Duc Duy and Nguyen Duy Khang

The two siblings are Nguyen Duc Duy, born in 2011, seventh-grade student at Truong Dinh Junior High School and Nguyen Duy Khang, born in 2013, fifth-grade student at Ninh Phu Primary School. As said by Vo Thi Thu Ba, the siblings’ paternal grandmother, Duc Duy and Duy Khang have had severe anemia since birth, often have high fever and bruises, abdominal distention, nosebleeds. The doctors at Khanh Hoa General Hospital prescribed each of them a transfusion of 2 bags of blood per month. Their weak health conditions and brittle bones make it impossible for the siblings to attend physical classes and keep up with their school attendance.

Duy weighs only about 22kg, Khang about 20kg; they have growth abnormalities. Although having been treated according to the doctor's prescribed regimen, Duy's condition hasn’t got better. Duy has suffered from more severe anemia, jaundice, enlarged liver and spleen, and abnormal development of facial bones. Every time Duy and Khang have fever and cyanosis, their family take them to the hospital for a blood transfusion.

Nguyen Quoc Anh and his wife didn’t have stable jobs and earnings. Therefore, the treatment costs of Duy and Khang have caused the family to cope with a lot of financial problems. Duy’s and Khang’s mother has left the family since Duy was 5 years and Khang was 3 years. Duy’s and Khang’s paternal grandmother had to mortgage her house to buy their father a small truck so that he can make a living and pay his sons’ treatment costs by carrying goods for people. When Anh doesn’t earn enough money to pay for the siblings’ iron chelation therapy, the paternal grandmother has to borrow money from their neighbors. Besides, the family has to make a total monthly payment of over VND8 million to the bank. Reportedly, the annual treatment costs for Duy and Khang have reached hundreds of millions of dong. Duy and Khang’s disease requires intensive and long-term treatment; however, the family is almost no longer able to afford the treatment costs of the siblings.

As said by Pham Nguyet Anh, chairman of Ninh Phu Commune People's Committee, the locality has visited and created conditions for Duy and Khang to receive monthly social benefits of VND1.6 million. Additionally, the commune has called for holiday gifts for the family. The commune hopes that people everywhere will offer help to the family so that Duy and Khang can recover from their disease and return to schools. 

People who want to help Nguyen Duc Duy and Nguyen Duy Khang can contact Vo Thi Thu Ba (tel: 0784112964) or Khanh Hoa Newspaper office (tel: 0258.3822019) at 77 Yersin St., Nha Trang City. Support can also be sent to Khanh Hoa Newspaper’s bank account at Vietcombank Nha Trang (account number 0581000765262).

T.D
Translated by H.N