The inspirational journey of a female doctor named after a flower

Wounds are healed not only by medicine, but also by heart. Doctor Nguyen Hong Nhung (Hospital E) is like a warm flame lighting up hope for thousands of patients, especially children who are unfortunate to have congenital malformations.

Wounds are healed not only by medicine, but also by heart. Doctor Nguyen Hong Nhung (Hospital E) is like a warm flame lighting up hope for thousands of patients, especially children who are unfortunate to have congenital malformations.

Dr. Hong Nhung

Fear and Passion

When she was a little girl, Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung had a deep fear - fear of blood. The feeling when seeing wounds, red blood flowing from the body always made her soul fly away. And it was hard to imagine that, one day, she would become a maxillofacial surgeon - someone who has made medical miracles saving lives, restoring and reconstructing the faces of countless patients.

The sight of blood or the sight of someone else’s wound made Nhung feel as if she were in pain herself. Her father, a famous doctor in the medical field, advised her that if she wanted to save people, she had to face this fear. No sacrifice comes without a price. It was this advice that ignited the determination in the young girl’s heart, helping her gradually overcome her fear of blood and begin her journey to become a doctor.

Dr. Hong Nhung is currently working at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Hanoi National University) and is also a clinical doctor at E Hospital. She has a PhD. She has performed surgery for thousands of cancer patients, children with congenital facial deformities, patients with facial paralysis, etc. She also has many reports at international scientific conferences in the country and abroad that have been highly appreciated.

In 2003, when she was just 19 years old, Nguyen Hong Nhung went to Russia to study general medicine. That was the time when she began to discover herself. Here, during theoretical classes, she had the opportunity to learn deeply about diseases and treatments. During her years of studying at the Moscow Medical Academy, she was not only absorbed in studying, but also always wanted to approach the reality of surgeries.

Every summer vacation, Nhung returns to Vietnam to intern at the 108 Military Central Hospital. The most memorable moment she recounts is the first time she accompanied her father to a microsurgery surgery for a patient with severe acid burns.

The patient's deformed face, without eyes or nose, looked extremely scary, but after the doctor performed plastic surgery, the burned girl was able to see light and breathe normally again. That moment ignited in Dr. Nhung a strong passion for the profession, motivating the young girl to continue pursuing this difficult, but extremely noble path.

Returning to Vietnam after graduation, the female doctor faced many challenges, especially when her father did not agree to let her pursue a career in maxillofacial surgery. He was worried that this job was too harsh and required too much sacrifice in terms of time and effort. Following her family's advice, Dr. Nhung was transferred to a lighter specialty. However, in her free time, she still secretly participated in surgeries in her father's operating room. The rain slowly soaked in, and in 2011, her determination received the nod from her father, who allowed her to become a plastic surgeon.

Her destination is the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology. Here, she directly participated in complex surgeries, especially surgeries for patients with maxillofacial cancer or children with congenital malformations such as cleft lip and palate.

For Dr. Nhung, each surgery is not just a professional job, but a new life, a new hope that she can give to poor patients, especially children.

In her medical career, one of the special surgeries that Dr. Nhung will never forget is the surgery for a cancer patient with a large tumor in the maxillofacial area. She was so afraid of failure that she lost her appetite and sleep. But one of her teachers, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Son, said: "The patient is very sick. If you don't do it, the patient will not have a chance. But if you can do it for them, you will give them a chance to be cured, to be saved." It was this encouragement that helped Nhung overcome her anxiety and successfully perform the surgery.

Not only stopping at traditional techniques, Dr. Nhung also pioneered the application of 3D technology in maxillofacial surgery. By using 3D models, doctors can plan surgery more accurately, helping to minimize risks and achieve the best results for patients.

Despite being a talented doctor, Dr. Nhung has faced many difficulties in her work. Microsurgery requires absolute concentration and sometimes, surgeries last for hours, doctors have to work from morning to night. Each surgery is a physical and mental challenge, but Dr. Nhung's greatest motivation is the recovery of the patient. "There are times when I feel exhausted, but seeing the patient recover gives me more motivation to continue working. That is a priceless reward," said Dr. Nhung.

"Angel" of children with cleft lip and palate

In addition to her microsurgery work, Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung also participates in many humanitarian surgery programs, bringing hope and joy to children with congenital disabilities.

She still remembers the case of a 2-year-old girl from the highlands, born with a cleft lip and palate. The girl’s mother confided that her daughter was called a “ghost” and shunned by everyone in the village. With the support of her colleagues, Dr. Nhung performed surgery to reconstruct the girl’s face. When the surgery was successful, the girl’s face gradually returned to normal. The girl’s mother could not hide her emotion, her eyes shining with boundless happiness.

It was at those moments that she clearly felt the value of the work she was doing.

Every time she enters the operating room, Dr. Nhung is not only a doctor, but also a mother, a great friend, ready to hug and soothe the fears of the children. “Seeing the children sleeping soundly after surgery, I feel all the fatigue in my body disappear,” Dr. Nhung shared.

She also remembers the case of a 3-year-old boy whose family brought him to the hospital with a very large cleft lip. Before the surgery, the boy's eyes seemed to contain uncertainty and fear when facing the surgery. Doctor Nhung gently held the boy's hand and said: "Don't be afraid, I will help you become more beautiful, it will no longer hurt." When the surgery was completed, seeing the boy able to smile, his face as bright as the dawn after the rain, Doctor Nhung understood that all the difficulties in the medical profession are worth it and every surgery is a beautiful story.

Although the profession of maxillofacial surgery is challenging and requires a lot of sacrifice, Dr. Nhung always maintains her passion and love for the profession. For her, each successful surgery is not only a victory in her profession, but also an opportunity to change the patient's life.

However, this job also has its own worries. She admits that when she has a child, balancing work and family is extremely difficult. Late at night, while she is having surgery, she receives calls from her child, sometimes the child is sick, sometimes he misses his mother. However, she never gives up, because to her, it is a worthy sacrifice.

In her story, Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung always expressed her pride that Vietnamese medicine has increasingly developed, approaching the advanced medicine in the world. She has attended and reported her research at many international scientific conferences. She said that she has seen the remarkable progress of Vietnamese medicine, especially in the field of plastic surgery.

Dr. Nhung hopes that in the future, the field of maxillofacial and plastic surgery will be expanded further, helping more patients. She hopes that children with congenital malformations will have the opportunity to receive comprehensive treatment from a young age, so that they can live a normal and happy life later. With her experiences, Dr. Nhung believes that as long as they have enough passion, determination and love for the profession, anyone can overcome difficulties and challenges to contribute to the cause of curing and saving lives.

The female doctor named after a beautiful flower is not only a good doctor, but also a teacher, an inspiration to generations of young doctors, especially female doctors, so that they can strongly pursue their passion and overcome all difficulties in their work. “The medical profession always requires patience and sacrifice, but if you have passion and dedication, you will receive invaluable rewards. This job is not just a career, but a mission,” Dr. Nhung shared.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/hanh-trinh-truyen-cam-hung-cua-nu-bac-sy-mang-ten-mot-loai-hoa-d243730.html