A 44-year-old widow in Bac Ninh Province is in need of help to treat her heart disease and raise her children.

Nguyen Thi Hoa is being treated at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. Dr Pham Tran Linh said she had high fever and was treated at another hospital for two months.

"When she was admitted, she had severe heart failure due to aortic regurgitation, bloated liver, blood infection and breathing difficulties," Linh said.

Nguyen Thi Hoa

The hospital had to use strong antibiotics to control the infection but the leaking of the aortic valve remains severe. Doctors said she needed operations to replace the valve and remove the source of infection she might die.

The operations cost, even with health insurance, VND52m-70m (USD2,300-3,100). Hoa went to everywhere she could but was only able to borrow VND10m.

"My husband had cirrhotic ascites and died seven years ago, leaving me and three children behind. My youngest child is only in 3rd grade and the second one is in 7th grade. I don't know who to depend on anymore. What'll happen to my children if I die?" Hoa said.

Hoa's oldest daughter is married but her situation is also poor and couldn't find a way to help Hoa.

Hoa's health already deteriorated long ago but she hid the fact from everyone to continue working as bricklayer. Only when she fainted and was brought to hospital that her family knew about her illness.

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