Little boy fights for his life

A poor family in Quang Tri Province is in desperate need of help to get hydrocephalus treatments for their son.

Thien's head becomes larger 

Even though Le Van Thien is only two years old, he already suffers from frequent and severe pain from his illness. A relative said, "Thien's father is an orphan. When they got married, they had nothing. Doctors said Thien could be cured by surgeries, but they just can't afford it."

Their house sags, and the wooden frame does not prevent leakage when it rains. To get through the winter, Thien's father, Le Thanh, uses nylon to fill in the holes on the walls and borrows tiles from neighbours to strengthen the roof. The house, one bed and an old TV are their most valuable possessions.

 The sagging house

Three years after their marriage, Thien was born, bringing hope and happiness to a poor household. But six months later, they realised that Thien was different from other babies. His body size was irregular and his breathing became difficult.

After taking him to the district hospital they were advised to take Thien to an urban hospital. The father borrowed money in order to get Thien into Hue Central Hospital.

Thien was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and need surgery quickly or his life would be in danger. However, the family left the hospital one week later due to a lack of money.

 Thien being cared by mother

Hoang Thi Thuong, Thien's mother, said, "When he was born, Thien weighed only 1.6kg, but we thought he was growing normally. We felt like fainting when we heard the prognosis from the doctors. His head is becoming larger while we don't know how to get money."

Thanh said they are helpless now. They have nothing to sell and still owe the bank over VND30 million (USD1,400). Currently, Thanh is working as bricklayer at construction sites.

"I'll use the rest of our savings to take Thien to Hue again. We don't have money for surgery so we'll try to depend on medicine as long as possible. We only have one child, I don't know how I could live with myself if something were to happen to him," Thanh said.

1. Code 1252: Le Thanh from Duan Kinh Village, Hai Xuan Commune, Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province.