HANNAH'S PROMISE

Name: Nguyen Thanh Luan, age 2.

Gender: Male

Province: Hung Yen

Diagnosis: Ventricular Septal Defect,

Pulmonary Stenosis

Type of Surgery: Open heart.

Cost: 3,000 USD at Cardiovascular Center – E hospital

Family situation: Luan is the second of two children in a poor family. Both Luan and his brother suffer from congenital heart defects and desperately need to be operated on soon in order to live a normal life like other children. Luan’s family has saved and sold everything including their house to try their best to pay for the enormous costs of the oldest son’s 2 previous heart surgeries. The family goes deeper and deeper in debt. At this point, the family cannot afford the costs of Luan’s medical treatment or even his checkups. Both sons were found to have congenital heart defects when they had a heart checkup in an outreach clinic organized by Cardiovascular Center– E hospital in March of this year. Luan’s parents are both farmers whose combined incomes are too meager to cover the daily needs the 6 people in the household.  Now they are living with Luan’s grandparents who are old and can’t work hard to earn income.

Name: Tran Thuy Linh, age 3.

Gender: Female

Province: Hung Yen

Diagnosis: Complete Transposition of the Arteries

Type of Surgery: Open heart

Cost: 2,619 USD at Cardiovascular Center - E hospital

Family Situation: When Thuy Linh was 2 month old, she was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Her family is certified by the local authority that they are the poor and they need help from any and all sources. It is impossible for this little girl’s family to cover the surgery cost. Her parents are landless farmers therefore they have to work as hired labour which pays poorly. Very often, they cannot earn enough money to pay for the daily living expenses of the family of 4 let alone Thuy Linh’s heart surgery. Her latest follow-up examination in Cardiovascular Center - E Hospital shows that she desperately needs to undergo corrective surgery as soon as possible. However, the surgery cost is too high for them to afford.

Name: Pham Phuong Nhung, age 3.

Gender: Female

Province: Nghe An

Diagnosis: Ventricular Septal Defect, 

Pulmonary Stenosis, Complete Transposition of the great Arteries, done Blalock surgery.

Type of Surgery: Open heart.

Cost: $4,000 USD at Cardiovascular Center – E hospital

Family situation: Nhung was born with the worst congenital heart defects and will not survive without surgery. She is living with her aging grandmother, parents and oldest sister. In the three years since her birth, her growth was been much slower than would be expected. Doctors at her provincial hospital were concerned about her heart and referred her to Cardiovascular Center – E Hospital in Hanoi. The family was forced to borrow money from friends and family to cover her first surgery. This preparatory surgery is necessary to improve the heart so that it will be strong enough for more extensive reconstruction to follow.

Nhung’s family is one of the poorest in their village. Her father is a farmer whose income is small. In order to earn extra money for Nhung, he finds seasonal work that pays from $5 and $10USD per day but it’s unstable. The mother has to stay at home to take care of the two children so she earns no income. Nhung still suffers from tiredness and pain and does not have much of an appetite which is affecting her growth. It means the second surgery is urgently required but its cost is completely beyond the means of Nhung’s family.

Name: Tran Hung Uy, age 2.

Gender: Male 

Province: Nghe An

Diagnosis: Ebstein type B, Ventricular septal defect, Atrial septal defect

Type of Surgery: Open heart

Cost: 3,000 USD at Hanoi Heart Hospital

Family situation: Hung Uy is the only child in his family. Sadly, his father left him when he was born. He now lives with his grandmother and his mother. When he was 17 days old, his mother took him to the hospital because he was always sick and hard breathing. After the medical examination and an ultrasound scan, he was diagnosed with multiple congenital heart defects. Hung Uy had to go to hospital for checkups every 2 months and took a lot of medicines. The doctors said that his case was very serious and he should have an operation soon or develop other problems that were life threatening. Surgery costs are impossible for Uy’s family. His mother has the only job in the family and her income is about $50USD/month. She is a hired laborer and the work is unstable as well. Since Uy was diagnosed with a congenital heart defects, his mother has worked hard to earn enough for his treatments and medicines. Uy’s family situation is so difficult that they can barely cover their daily living expenses, let alone Uy’s surgery cost.