Vang Thu Hien receives treatment at the National Institute of Burns in Hanoi
At the Intensive Care Unit of the National Institute of Burns in Hanoi, the 12-year-old Giay ethnic girl from the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang writhes in agony. Her face contorts in pain each time fluid seeps from the open wounds covering her body, soaking through the white bandages wrapped tightly around her fragile frame.
Besides her, Luu Thi Phuong, 39, half sits, half kneels, gently dabbing the beads of sweat from her daughter’s forehead.
“Whenever she stirs, the sweat pours down her face, I know the pain is unbearable,” Phuong says in tears. “Watching my child suffer like this breaks my heart.”
Phuong besides her daughter
Phuong recalls that in early April 2024, small blisters suddenly appeared across Hien’s body. The blisters gradually grew larger before bursting, leaving her skin covered in raw, bleeding sores.
Living in a remote area with limited medical knowledge, the family did not take Hien to the hospital immediately. Instead, they invited a local shaman to perform a ritual and applied crushed medicinal leaves to her wounds. However, this only worsened her condition.
By the time Hien developed multiple infections and a persistent high fever, the family, in desperation, borrowed money to rush her to the hospital.
Over the past year, Hien has been transferred between multiple hospitals, experiencing brief improvements before relapsing. On February 19, she was admitted to the National Institute of Burns.
“I just want to live. I want to go back to school like my friends!”
Discussing her family’s dire circumstances, Phuong explains that Hien’s father, who is illiterate and slow, remains at home doing household chores.
Meanwhile, Phuong, physically weak and burdened with two young children, can only manage to farm small plots of maize and vegetables near their home. The family has long struggled with poverty.
“We have no money. I’ve already borrowed over VND200 million (approximately USD 8,000) for my daughter's treatment over the past year,” Phuong says tearfully. “Now, I can’t borrow any more. But if we take her home, she will die.”
Dr Le Quang Thao from the National Institute of Burns states that Hien has suffered 30 percent skin damage on her torso, arms, and buttocks due to pemphigus and Cushing’s Syndrome, both autoimmune disorders.
She is currently receiving intravenous fluids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, and regular wound dressings. To improve her chances, she urgently needs nutritional supplements, albumin infusions, and advanced dressing materials. Skin graft surgery will only be possible once her condition stabilises.
However, the prognosis remains uncertain. Hien faces a high risk of infection and requires long-term treatment. Even after stabilisation, the disease can recur at any time, with projected medical costs reaching hundreds of millions of dong.
“This illness has caused immense physical and emotional suffering,” Dr Thao states. “Through Dantri newspaper, we appeal to readers to support the family so they can continue Hien’s treatment.”
Hearing the doctor, Hien clasps her hands together and pleads: “Please, kind uncles and aunts, help me. I want to live. I want to go back to school like my friends.”
If you can help, send your donations to:
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