Life-Changing Heart Surgeries for Kids in Vietnam

The MEDRIX team is currently in Vietnam right now! We're getting ready to interview children and young adults in desperate need of life-saving heart surgery, and thanks to the generosity of donors like you, be able to sponsor surgeries for those most in need. For many people with congenital heart diseases, especially from rural areas, the need for medical attention is very urgent and without financial help, it is completely beyond reach. In Vietnam, despite a person's impoverished status, they must have proof of payment before a hospital will agree to schedule a surgery. This prevents many children from even pursuing heart surgery and instead live their lives weak and unable to fully participate in community life. Their parents don't ever give up hope that someday their child will be able to be healthy again, and wish for a better life than they could provide. 

Even though his son Binh was grown and had a family of his own, his father Tho was a constant fixture at Binh's appointments at Hue Central Hospital, supporting and helping his son the best he could. Both Tho and Binh are rice farmers in Binh Dinh Province in the South Central coastal region of Vietnam. Binh was able to achieve relative success despite his heart defect, finishing the sixth grade in school and being able to read and write. Binh's wife works for a textile company, and together they have a 4 year old child. Despite all of his hard work as a rice farmer, Binh only earns about $200 (USD) per month. 

While Binh and his wife managed to save more than a month's salary for his heart surgery, it was still not nearly enough. So Binh and his father Tho departed Binh Dinh Province to Hue City, hoping that the charity department at the hospital and donors from organizations like MEDRIX would be able to help. Tho was right by his son's side through all interviews and appointments, showing that a father's love for his child does not stop once they are grown. Luckily MEDRIX and a partnering NGO were able to help Binh's family with the surgery costs and he was able to be admitted for surgery right away. Binh recovered very well from surgery, and was able to return home to his village in the South Central Coast with his father Tho. Together these two men were a touching reminder to MEDRIX of the powerful love that parents hold for their children, and that the hope we have for our kids to have the very best lives never fades. 

Because of the generosity of donors like you, Binh and Tho were able to return home with a new lease on life, and plenty of hope and opportunity to care for Binh's child. Binh and Tho will be able to work even harder to provide for their family and give Binh's child a chance to complete school just like he did, and perhaps go even further! Your support of MEDRIX cannot be overstated: your donations have made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people in Vietnam. We sincerely thank you for your partnership with us to improve the lives of those in need in Vietnam. 

Links:

• Read Binh's story and some of our other heart patient updates!

Thousands of children in Vietnam younger than five years of age suffer from heart disease. Children’s heart disease is the most common birth defect globally and 90% of the children born in developing countries have no access to the care they need. For those who never receive heart surgery in childhood, a lifetime of a weak heart and poor health takes a toll: as adults, they are often confined to physical labor roles which are extremely taxing on their health. Some are not able to work at all, and fear for how to provide for their families. 

These were the experiences for two moms living in rural Quang Ngai Provinice in Central Vietnam: recently MEDRIX sponsored life-changing heart surgeries for Ms. Huong and Mrs. Mac. We'd like to share their stories with our donors to illustrate the true long-term impact that heart surgery sponsorship can have. Healthy lives open the door to education and hope not just for the people who receive surgery, but for their entire families. We truly could not do this work withour your support, and we thank you for helping Ms. Huong, Mrs. Mac, and countless others suffering from heart defects in Vietnam. 

Ms. Huong is a 34 year old single mother to a 12 year old daughter. Being a single mom in rural Quang Ngai Province is not easy, but Ms. Huong’s life became even more difficult when she was no longer able to work as a waitress in a cafe due to her heart defect. She was very afraid of what might happen to her daughter if she couldn’t support her, or if she even died from her heart problems. Neighbors agreed to watch her daughter while she traveled to Hue for diagnosis and treatment: her condition was so severe that she was hospitalized immediately after MEDRIX agreed to help support her surgery costs. Ms. Huong had surgery on November 24th and was discharged in early December with a good condition. The MEDRIX staff described the impact of Ms. Huong’s surgery:

"Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Huong...has come back home to fulfill her mission as a mother AND a father for her little daughter. Her dream to have good health to support her daughter and give her a good education has come true because of the donors of MEDRIX...Today the two big smiles are shining brightly in this little family."

Mrs. Mac is a 41 year old married woman with 3 children, including a 1 year old baby, who discovered her heart defect later in life. She and her husband both work as farmers, struggling to support their family. Despite living in an extremely mountainous and rural area of Central Vietnam, Mrs. Mac and her husband traveled to Hue to get treatment at our partner hospital. They had to take a bus, a train and a taxi to reach the “Big City” of Hue from their small village in Quang Ngai Province. They were both afraid of her health prospects from major heart surgery, especially for their younger children who would need a caring mother in their life. Fortunately, Mrs. Mac’s surgery was very successful, and she was discharged just in time for the (Western) New Year on December 30th! As you can tell from her picture, Mrs. Mac is very happy to start her new life in new year of 2017. She and her family send their most sincere thanks to the donors and wishes them all the best in the new year.

Because of the generosity of donors like you, these moms are able to return home with a new lease on life, and plenty of hope and opportunity to care for their children. Their families will stay intact and their children will have a much better chance of finishing their education, instead of being forced into working to support themselves while they're still children. Moms are often the glue that hold families together, and thanks to our supporters, these two moms have a lifetime of health ahead of them for their most important work: caring for their families and sharing love with their children. 

Links:

• Read some updates from our 82 heart patients!