A child with blood cancer needs help

Thai Van Quoc (born in 1991) and Bui Thi Bich Lieu (born in 1990), living at 142/21 Pham Van Dong Street, Thuan Loi Residential Group, Cam Thuan Ward, Cam Ranh City don’t have stable jobs, so it is quite difficult for them to raise their two children. Since their eldest daughter, Thai Chau Anh (born in 2017, first-grade pupil in Cam Phu Primary School) was diagnosed with blood cancer, the family have been filled with sorrow.

Chau Anh has just returned home from City Children's Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City) after her first chemotherapy session. As said by Van Quoc, Chau Anh often had a fever when she started her second semester. She started to have some bruises on her legs which became more and more numerous and suffered bleeding gums. Her parents took her to Cam Ranh City General Hospital where she was diagnosed with abnormalities in red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells and was recommended a transfer to City Children's Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City). The doctors at City Children’s Hospital diagnosed Chau Anh with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which needs timely treatment.

Chau Anh loves drawing

Quoc and his wife are free workers with unstable incomes. The family doesn’t have their own house and live with Quoc’s parents. Quoc graduated from Ho Chi Minh City College of Construction, majoring in Water Supply and Drainage; however, he has to work as a hired vehicle washer after failing to find a job in his field of study. Quoc’s wife, Lieu, helps her husband and earns income from a small pavement café. Quoc and Lieu had to quit their work to take Chau Anh to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment. Chau Anh’s grandparents are old and just are able to offer some support. The expense for the travel to Ho Chi Minh City and Chau Anh’s first chemotherapy session was over VND120 million. In order to afford her daughter’s treatment cost, Quoc asked his parents to mortgage the house to borrow VND60 million. The family also borrowed an additional VND50 million. They haven’t paid off their old debt while Chau Anh has to undergo 4 sessions of chemotherapy. The family is suffering financial hardship.

Chau Anh has to take a temporary break from taking classes in order to follow her treatment procedure. Her illness and chemotherapy have caused Chau Anh tiredness, feeling sick, hair loss, loss of appetite, weak muscles, etc. She has to undergo physical therapy to avoid paralysis. Despite tiredness, Chau Anh enjoys drawing and often draws colorful pictures with her weak hand.

According to Cao Vu Nam, vice chairman of Cam Thuan Ward People's Committee, the locality has reported on Chau Anh’s circumstance to Cam Ranh City People's Committee so that she can receive support for children with serious illnesses from the City Children's Fund. The locality has also assisted the family to prepare documents assessing Chau Anh's level of disability, enabling her to access social benefits for individuals with severe disabilities. In addition, the locality has also called for support for the family. Cam Phu Primary School has donated more than VND100 million to Chau Anh.

People who want to help Thai Chau Anh can contact Thai Van Quoc (tel: 0933.036.841) 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