Ho Thi Hoan, 38, and Van Duc Giap, 40, have five children. However, their second child died in 2013 at the age of four and then they lost their fourth child in 2021 when he was just eight months old, both due to spinal muscular problems.

"Now my youngest child Minh Quan is also suffering from this horrible disease," Hoan said. "I'm very worried. How can I save him?"

The poor mother said Minh Quan developed the disease when he was four months old. And it has badly affected his development since.

"Quan has poor health which seems to have worsened recently," she said. "He also started to learn to walk and speak but his worsening condition has struck him down. And now he can only lie in bed."

The couple have recently brought their child to the Nghe An Obstetrics & Paediatrics Hospital to seek treatment.

"Doctors told us that my children's problems might have been caused by genetic mutation from their parents," Giap said. "They told us to carry out some tests to decide on a proper treatment plan for Quan. But we now don't have money for these costly tests."

Doctor Ho Dang Muoi from the Nghe An Obstetrics & Paediatrics Hospital said that Quan's health may deteriorate if he doesn’t receive treatment.

"It's necessary to study the genes of both his father and mother to find out the causes of his problems and have proper treatment," the doctor said. "However, these tests could cost a lot of money."

Giap said that his modest income from farming work could not afford further treatment for his child.

"We've so far had to borrow nearly VND300 million to cover treatment for our three children," the man said. "And we won't be able to borrow more. Meanwhile, my wife hasn't been able to do any work except for taking care of our ill children. We hope to receive some support to help save our child."

If you can help, send your donations to:

1. Code 5102: Van Duc Giap

Village 9, Quynh Tan Commune, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An Province.

Tel: 0383.264.251.

Bank account 8841082097 at BIDV.

2. Dantri/DTiNews Newspaper

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* Vietnam Dong Account information at Vietcombank:
Account holder: Bao Dien tu Dan tri
Account number: 451000476889
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Account holder: Bao Dien tu Dan tri
Account number: 0451370477371
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Account holder: Bao Dien tu Dan tri
Account number: 129 0000 61096
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* Vietnam Dong Account information at BIDV
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Account holder: Bao Dien tu Dan tri
Account number: 0721101010006
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Account holder: Bao Dien tu Dan tri
Account number: 0721101011002
SWIFT Code: MSCBVNVX
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- Account number: 1400206034036
- At Agribank, Lang Ha Branch, Hanoi

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