Nguyen Ngoc Minh needs help to cover medical treatment for his daughter.
In a loft of less than 20 square metres inside a small house deep in an alley in Thanh My Tay Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, 46-year-old Nguyen Ngoc Minh and his two daughters endure the stifling summer heat.
His elder daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just seven months old and has required constant medical supervision ever since. By age 11, her condition forced her to leave school.
In 2019, Minh and his wife divorced. He initially cared for the children, but frequent business trips meant he had to let them live temporarily with their mother.
When he brought them home after several months, his elder daughter had become withdrawn and often locked herself in her room. Minh thought it was due to family upheaval until one day, he noticed scars on her wrists.
In early 2024, doctors at the psychology department of Children’s Hospital 2 diagnosed her with severe depression, marked by chronic insomnia and a loss of interest in life. She often harmed herself to cope with emotional distress.
The scars on the teenager's wrists.
One day, Minh read her diary and was shaken to discover entries about her being sent to prostitution by her mother to earn money, hinting at traumatic experiences. “Each word felt like a knife to my heart,” he said. He immediately sought help from the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights. Authorities quickly intervened and arrested the perpetrators.
But his daughter now faces severe consequences. In addition to psychological trauma, her diabetes has led to heart and kidney complications. Recent tests showed weakened heart function and kidney damage, requiring close and long-term treatment.
In July alone, she was hospitalised twice at Gia Dinh People’s Hospital for diabetic complications and a staphylococcal infection that caused necrotising tissue in her finger. During one hospital stay, she nearly attempted suicide by jumping from a building.
While his daughter receives intensive hospital care, Minh is also battling health problems. A work accident damaged five of his vertebrae, and late last year, he was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, forcing him to stop working for six months. His life savings were exhausted on medical treatment for himself and his daughter.
Now partially recovered, he struggles to find stable work. To support his children and elderly parents, he has borrowed heavily, accumulating debts of over VND 100 million (approximately USD 4,000) in just a few months.
“Many nights I lie awake wondering how to find money for my daughter’s medicine and check-ups. Sometimes I wish I could wake up healthy again, able to work and earn enough,” Minh said.
Minh and his daughter at the hospital
“I am not afraid of dying; I am afraid that if I fall, my daughter will have no one left. Her illness is in a dangerous stage, and any delay in treatment could cost her life. Please, I beg everyone to help my child.”
If you can help, donate through:
1. Code 5680: Nguyen Ngoc Minh
Address: Thanh My Tay Ward, HCM City
2. Dantri/DTiNews Newspaper
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