Dinh Thi Lien hires a small room near the Hanoi-based National Children's Hospital so that she can follow treatment of her four-year-old son at the hospital. They have been staying there for two years. Each day, she carries her son with her to work as a vendor selling small items on the surrounding streets.
"I earned VND70,000 (USD2.90) today," the mother said when a DanTri/DTiNews reporter recently visited her room at 10 pm when she returned home from work. "I walked more today with my baby on my back so I'm feeling a bit tired."
The boy, Dinh Hoang Gia Hieu, slept shortly after his mother placed him on a mattress on the floor.
The mother shared that she has two children, whose father left them some years ago. They were living with her elderly parents in Hanoi's suburban district of Phu Xuyen. She used to work as a farmer and did odd jobs to earn modest income to support both her parents and her children. Two years ago, she nearly collapsed when her ailing son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and needed urgent treatment.
"I decided to bring my child to the National Children's Hospital for treatment," she said. "Doctors said that he would need treatment for a long time so I had to rent a room nearby to follow."
The mother said that she has taken some part-time jobs such as washing dishes for restaurants or cleaning houses for families in the area to cover the living cost and treatment for her son. However, her son would cry a lot when she went out to work. So she has decided to work as a street vendor and carry him along with her.
"It is tiring, as I'm also weak, weighing only about 30 kilogrammes, but I have no other choices," she said. "This is the only way that I can both earn money and take care of my child safely. Luckily we are constantly offered free meals by charity groups."
Doctor Nguyen Thi Huong Giang from the National Children's Hospital said that Dinh Hoang Gia Hieu's condition is improving and he has a good chance of recovery if he can receive proper treatment. However, the treatment is costly and will last a long time.
"We know that Hieu and his mother are facing financial difficulties and have offered some discounts on his treatment," the doctor said. "But they need more support to continue the treatment."
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