Dantri reporters recently visited the family of Nguyen Van Danh, 43, in Tra Con Commune and presented them with VND 107,166,733 (about USD 4,125) donated through the newspaper.
A Dantri's reporter hands over readers' donations to the family of Nguyen Van Danh (Photo: Nguyen Minh).
Danh and his wife, Le Thi Thuy Dung, 43, have three children: Nguyen Trung Hao, 16, Nguyen Trung Kiet, 14, and Nguyen Ha My, seven.
Kiet was born healthy and active, but began suffering from persistent fevers and a poor appetite when he was five. His parents took him to hospital for tests, where he was diagnosed with blood cancer.
“Our family has been taking him to the Oncology Hospital for treatment for nearly 10 years, and he is still receiving care,” Danh said.
Trung Kiet's dream of continuing his education has been interrupted by cancer (Photo: Family handout).
Throughout Kiet’s illness, Danh and Dung have taken turns staying with their son in hospital. However, because the family also has two younger children and elderly parents to care for, Dung usually stays at home, while Danh accompanies Kiet on treatment visits that can last a month.
The couple take on various jobs whenever they have spare time to make ends meet, but their income is low and irregular.
“I borrowed VND 50 million (about USD 1,925) from the bank to pay for my son’s treatment six years ago, and I still cannot repay it. I have also borrowed from relatives and friends, and I can no longer keep track of how much I owe,” Danh said sadly.
After Dantri published a report on the family’s circumstances, readers donated more than VND 114 million in total. More than VND 107 million was transferred through the newspaper, while over VND 7 million was sent directly to Danh’s personal account.
Danh said the donations had given his son a chance to continue treatment.
“I am deeply grateful to the readers who have helped my son continue chemotherapy. I have just returned home after taking him for a month of follow-up appointments,” he said, visibly moved.
