Thuy's Heart

In late October of 2006 Thuy checked into the Ha Noi Heart Hospital. Three days earlier she had developed a severe fever. Her surgery quickly became an issue of urgency; thankfully HSCV was able to find a funding for Thuy before it was too late. On November 1st Thuy had life saving surgery. The surgery went well and after a week she was feeling much better and able to walk around the hospital.
It has now been nearly 10 months since her heart surgery; she is doing well and has gained over 9 lbs (4 kg). Now that Thuy is feeling stronger it is time to start treating her rhinitis. Rhinitis causes inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, and is usually accompanied by a discharge of mucus. Because of this she often suffers from a sore throat and has difficulty breathing and eating.
The surgery for her sinuses will require a few procedures. This past week she underwent the first of these procedures at the Hanoi Eye Hospital. Things are going well for Thuy and she is expected to check out of the hospital within the next day or two.
Thuy is from Ha Tay Province and her parent’s are rice and peanut farmers. They struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet for the family. Having a child with complicated medical issues creates a situation where a loving family is only able to treat the symptoms and not the cause. Over the years families will continually accrue debt and actually end up spending more than the cost of the surgery just treating the symptoms. If a family is able to pay for their child’s surgery it is usually because they were able to sell their home, or take out a loan against their property. In Thuy’s case her parent’s home is not worth enough money to sell. Before HSCV intervened Thuy was too weak to attend school and she was given less than two months to live.
This is the effect donations to HSCV have on the life of a child.