Poor pupil with brain tumor needs help

Diagnosed with a brain tumor at the end of 2024, Ngo Thien (born in 2010, living at 117 Phan Dinh Phung Street, Thuan Phat residential group, Cam Linh Ward) has undergone 6 surgeries and 4 chemotherapy sessions.  

Thien's family lives in a small old house. As said by Ngo Quyen Vuong (Thien's father), in December 2024 when Thien was in 8th grade at Tran Phu Junior High School, Cam Ranh Ward), Thien often suffered from headaches and loss of appetite. He was taken to Khanh Hoa General Hospital and was diagnosed with malignant brain tumor. Due to the severity of his illness, Thien was transferred to Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 2 for timely treatment. In a short period, he underwent six surgeries to remove the tumor and four rounds of chemotherapy, which caused him to lose all his hair. During his treatment, the hospital became his second home, forcing him to take a leave of absence from school. Sympathizing with his situation, the school's administration granted him a leave of absence, allowing him to focus on his recovery. Thien hope that he can recover from the disease in order to ease the burden for his dad and grandma and for him to return to school.

Ngo Thien has undergone 6 brain tumor surgeries

Thien's parents separated when he was just 5 years old. Since then, he has been living with his dad and grandmother. The family is officially classified as near-poor household. His grandmother collects scrap metal and bottles to make ends meet; his dad earns a precarious living as a painter, providing him an unstable income of approximately VND7-8 million per month.

Vuong had to borrow money from relatives, friends, and neighbors to pay for his son's hospital deposit and other expenses. The school, Thien’s relatives and kindhearted people provided help to the family with nearly VND60 million. Even though Thien's health insurance covers 95% of the costs, his critical illness requires a specific, long-term treatment plan and many medications that aren't included in the insurance list. This makes the expenses incredibly high. This week, Thien is scheduled for another check-up in Ho Chi Minh City, but his family is almost out of money. Vuong still hasn’t pay off the bank loan of VND30 million.

According to Nguyen Binh Viet, vice-chairman of Cam Linh Ward People's Committee, the local government offered Thien’s family timely support from donations collected from benefactors and presented a proposal to a higher level of authorities for emergency aid for Thien, which resulted in a grant of VND15 million from the provincial Center for Social Protection and Social Work. Additionally, the locality is helping the family to apply for social welfare benefits for Thien. 

T.D
Translated by H.N