Single mother livestreams at the hospital at night, fights cancer with her child in the morning

Fall into the abyss

After 8 p.m., Ms. Le Thi Thu Hoa (27 years old) sat on the ground, right in the middle of the walkway of the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital 2 (Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City). Looking around and seeing no one around, she started to open her phone, livestream and then started introducing the products she was selling.

Every time she finishes her livestream, Ms. Hoa is pensive, feeling extremely heavy and tired. But for her, her fatigue is nothing compared to the pain her son is enduring.

Ms. Hoa livestreams right in the middle of the hospital campus (Photo: Character provided).

"The baby is only 3 years old and is fighting leukemia," Ms. Hoa choked up.

She saved the money she earned from selling online to cover her and her child's food and drink. For the past few months, she has been constantly "bombed" with products, making her feel extremely depressed.

Minh Hai, her son, seemed to know that his mother was having a hard time, so he rarely cried and often went to bed early so that his mother could livestream her sales. Returning to the hospital room, looking at Hai's arm full of bruises and scars from vein extraction, Ms. Hoa suddenly burst into tears.

In 2021, Ms. Hoa ended her unfulfilled marriage and moved from Ninh Thuan to Binh Duong to live alone with her child. At that time, she got a job as an accountant at a restaurant, and in the afternoon, she sold vegetables to earn extra money to raise her child.

Every day, the 12-hour journey to earn a living left Ms. Hoa with no time to focus on anything else. Not having enough money to cover her expenses, she ran around to apply for a job as a receptionist at a hotel in Go Vap District (HCMC). She also sent her children back to her hometown for her grandmother to look after so she could focus on earning a living.

Sometimes, Hai also sits next to and watches his mother sell goods (Photo: Character provided).

When Hai was 2 years old, his grandmother discovered that he had a poor appetite, swollen lymph nodes on his head, and a bloated stomach. At that time, Ms. Hoa hurriedly took a bus home that night, taking her child from Ninh Thuan to Children's Hospital 1. After 4 hours of examination, the doctor announced that Hai would be transferred to the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital.

Hoa had a bad feeling and prayed for her son all the way. At the hospital, Hai was resuscitated for 12 days to reduce his high white blood cell count. During that time, Hai was in constant pain due to the repeated IVs and IVs.

A few months later, Hai's white blood cell count dropped, and Ms. Hoa was happy because she thought her son was getting better. Then, everything suddenly collapsed when she heard the doctor announce that Hai had leukemia.

"Even if it's 1% hope, I'll embrace it"

The moment she heard the bad news, Ms. Hoa's limbs went limp. She collapsed on the hospital floor, sobbing: "Why is it my child?"

The doctor informed that the cost of treatment according to the protocol was about 1 billion VND. Ms. Hoa could only hug her child, sitting in a corner, absent-minded. Ms. Hoa did not know where to get that amount of money, and briefly thought about signing a paper refusing treatment.

Since her child got sick, Ms. Hoa and her child have been hanging around the hospital all day (Photo: Character provided).

But the moment she looked into her child's eyes, she couldn't help but pick up the phone and call her sister. Together they borrowed money from relatives, friends, and acquaintances, and managed to collect 400 million VND.

"Even if the hope is 1%, I will embrace it," said the single mother.

November 7, 2023 is Hoa's birthday, and also the day Hai begins his first round of chemotherapy. Hai's life is increasingly fragile as he suffers from acute pancreatic enzyme deficiency due to complications from chemotherapy drugs.

"What mother can bear to see the doctors insert a tube from her child's nose into her stomach to suck out the saliva? If I am in pain, my child is in pain a hundred times worse," Ms. Hoa cried.

The scars all over Hai's body make a mother like Ms. Hoa extremely heartbroken (Photo: Character provided).

One week after the first chemotherapy session, patches of hair on Hai’s head began to fall out. Hai’s body began to develop ulcers, allergies, and fever. Because Hai was not allowed to swallow saliva, Ms. Hoa had to use a white curtain to cover his nose so that he could not smell the food.

Since her child got sick, Ms. Hoa has been in the hospital 24/7. During the day, she fights the disease with her child. At night, she puts her child to sleep and starts livestreaming to earn money.

Hai is currently undergoing his fourth round of chemotherapy. At the beginning of the week, Hai was allowed to go home for 7 days by the doctor. This is also the time for Ms. Hoa to raise more money to prepare for her son's next treatment. Looking at Hai, Ms. Hoa has only one wish.

"I wish my child would stay by my side forever," the mother said in tears.

Ms. Hoa confided that mother and son are holding hands to overcome the 5th chemotherapy session and reach the destination. At that time, Hai will be able to go home, go to school, and live like a normal child.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/me-don-than-dem-livestream-o-benh-vien-sang-cung-con-chien-dau-voi-ung-thu-20240611154854055.htm