Representatives of Dantri Newspaper and local authorities in Ha Tinh Province presented on September 20 a symbolic donation cheque worth VND 500.3 million (USD 19,200) to Ho Thanh Phong, 9, from Tran Phu Ward.
A Dantri reporter and leaders of Ha Tinh Province present the symbolic donation cheque to the family of Ho Thanh Phong on September 20 (Photo: Hoai Anh).
The funds were contributed by readers through Dantri's charitable programme and have been transferred to the bank account of Nguyen Thi Thuy Lien, 31, Phong's mother.
Receiving the donation, Lien said the family had previously missed an opportunity for a liver transplant because they could not afford the cost.
“With this generous support from Dantri readers, we will continue preparing and waiting for a suitable donor liver. This assistance gives our family hope that we will not miss another chance for our son to receive treatment and live a healthy life. We are deeply grateful for everyone's kindness and support,” she said.
Thanh Phong was moved to tears (Photo: Duong Nguyen).
Pham Hung Cuong, secretary of the Tran Phu Ward Party Committee, thanked Dantri for connecting readers across the country with the family's fundraising effort.
“We hope Phong will soon receive a suitable donor liver and undergo surgery. Local authorities will continue supporting the family, and we encourage them to reach out whenever they need assistance,” Cuong said.
Phong was born with biliary atresia, a rare condition affecting around one in every 15,000 children. At just three months old, he underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder.
After years of treatment, the disease developed into cirrhosis and hepatopulmonary syndrome, leaving his health increasingly fragile.
Phong has congenital biliary atresia, a rare disease (Photo: Duong Nguyen).
For the past nine years, Phong has relied on daily medication. His family spends about VND 5 million (USD 192) each month on medicines not covered by health insurance, in addition to travel and treatment costs in Hanoi.
Although he is now in Grade 4 at primary school, his poor health prevents him from attending classes regularly.
According to doctors at the National Children's Hospital, Phong requires a liver transplant at Viet Duc University Hospital.
His father is unable to donate because he previously underwent surgery that removed part of a lung.
Phong's mother, despite being physically weak herself, has volunteered to donate part of her liver. However, doctors have advised that such a procedure would carry significant risks and have prioritised waiting for a liver from a brain-dead donor.
Whichever option becomes available, the family estimates that the transplant and related medical expenses will cost more than VND 1.2 billion (USD 46,000).
After nearly a decade of treatment, the family's finances have been exhausted.
Phong's mother left her job to care for him full-time. The family's main income comes from his father, who works casual jobs, while his grandfather works as a construction labourer and his grandmother collects recyclable materials.
Phong lives with his parents and four-year-old sister in his grandparents' house as the family continues to wait for a chance at the transplant that could save his life.
