A five-year-old boy from Dak Lak Province has undergone successful cochlear implant surgery after readers of the Dantri/Dtinews Newspaper donated more than VND 530 million (USD 20,380) to fund his treatment.
On July 22, Nguyen Thanh Hoai, vice-chair of the People's Committee of Duc Binh Commune, said Nguyen Hai Dang had been taken to Ho Chi Minh City by his father, Nguyen Xuan Quang, for the operation.
"The local authorities have been informed that the implant surgery was successful. The family is now waiting for the surgical wound to heal before the external components are fitted, allowing Dang to hear. We will continue to monitor and support his recovery," Hoai said.
The surgical wound from Hai Dang’s cochlear implant procedure is gradually healing (Photo: Xuan Quang).
According to Quang, the initial cost of the cochlear implant procedure was nearly VND 400 million (USD 15,300). Doctors have confirmed that the surgery was successful and that the implanted device is functioning well.
He said doctors advised that the wound would need at least one month to heal before an external speech processor could be attached to receive and transmit sound signals. Only then will Hai Dang begin to hear. Following the restoration of his hearing, he will undergo speech therapy to help him learn to speak.
"The road ahead is still challenging, but my son and I will do everything we can so that he can hear and speak. Dang has this chance only because of the kindness of Dantri/Dtinews readers. We will never forget their generosity," Quang said.
Hai Dang and his father live in a makeshift house (Photo: Trung Thi).
Quang and his son were featured in a Dantri article about the family's struggle after the boy's mother left, leaving the father to raise his son alone in poverty.
Quang first noticed signs of congenital hearing loss when Hai Dang was an infant. However, severe financial hardship meant he could not afford to take his son for specialist treatment in Ho Chi Minh City until the child was two years old. Doctors diagnosed severe hearing loss in both ears, warning that without treatment he would be unable to develop normal speech.
Quang, who has lost the vision in one eye and is in poor health, supports the family through manual labour while raising his son alone in a dilapidated house.
Doctors estimated that a cochlear implant in one ear would cost around VND 350 million (USD 13,400), a sum far beyond the family's means. Without financial assistance, Hai Dang risked missing the critical window for treatment.
After Dantri published the family's story, readers donated nearly VND 530 million (USD 20,380). Of that amount, almost VND 380 million (USD 14,500) was contributed through the newspaper's charity programme, while more than VND 150 million (USD 5,700) was transferred directly to Quang's bank account.
Dantri reporters and local authorities present a symbolic board showing VND 377.95 million (USD 14,500), donated by readers to Quang and his son (Photo: Ly Ly).
In late May, Dantri transferred the full amount raised through its charity programme to Quang, enabling him to fulfil his long-held hope of giving his son the chance to hear the world around him.
