We arrived at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital facility 2 on a scorching hot day. Nestled in the line of people carrying armpits in front of the hospital gate is the anxious image of a father helping his one-legged son, who is dragging wearily on an iron crutch. Mr. Nguyen Van Lang (44 years old) and his son Nguyen Tien Anh (17 years old) have bone cancer .

“And yet my father still hid it”

With hollow eyes, dark circles, and endless sadness, Mr. Lang told about the journey when he alone took his son from Gia Nghia District (Dak Nong) to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment of bone cancer .

In September 2022, after Anh returned from playing soccer, he saw that his son’s legs were swollen and he had terrible pain in his knees. Mr. Lang took his son to the hospital in Dak Nong province for a check-up. 

The doctor diagnosed a sprain and gave him medicine. After 1 month of taking medicine, but the pain showed no signs of improving, Mr. Lang took his child for treatment at Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedics Hospital. After testing the biopsy sample, the doctor concluded that he had stage 3 bone cancer and transferred him to Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital to continue chemotherapy.

UYEN NHI

The day he received the bad news, Mr. Lang collapsed. He did not expect that the evil disease that scared everyone would strike his son. Wiping away all his tears, he took all the money he had accumulated to treat his child. “At that time I was so angry, I didn’t believe it was true because cancer is a serious disease, so it was “done”, Mr. Lang choked up.

Afraid that his child would be sad, he was forced to hide it from his child. Entering treatment at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, when he received the first prescription, he knew he had cancer , but only told his father one sentence: “But you still hid it.” He told his father as lightly as if the way he faced the tormenting physical pain for nearly 2 years.

In the first days of fighting bone cancer, the pain left him so exhausted that he didn’t even have the strength to scream. Then the severe pain caused him to kneel on the floor, lying there forever, unable to lift himself up. However, he still had to try to eat even when he was nauseous.

There was a time when he sat absent-mindedly by the hospital room window, sweating profusely after a day of struggling with his illness and just wished he didn’t suffer so much pain.

At night, he toss and turns and stays awake until late at night before falling asleep for a while. Because of that, Anh’s face became thin and haggard, his hair fell out in patches so I had to shave my head. Looking at his child like that, Mr. Lang did not know how to help his child get better.

“I will never give up”

In July 2023, after two surgeries, he had his right leg amputated. According to the treatment regimen, he received 11 chemotherapy sessions, each lasting 1 month. Between drug infusions, he gets 15-20 days off. Up to now, his health has gradually stabilized and moved to the maintenance phase.

He is the youngest child in a family of two brothers. Mr. Lang and his wife divorced when Anh was 6 years old. He and his children moved from Hanoi to Dak Nong to live. He works as a carpenter but his job is unstable because depending on orders, he earns on average 400,000 – 500,000 VND/day. But since the day Anh got bone cancer, he quit all work and went to Ho Chi Minh City to take care of his children. To have money for his child’s treatment, he borrowed from everywhere, living every day relying on charity kitchens and free boarding houses.

After spending more than 500 days at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital , Mr. Lang’s strength is now exhausted, so Mr. Lang no longer knows where to turn. If he wants to borrow, there is no place that dares to lend because he has no assets left. to accept. 

“I’m deep in debt, the loans are nearly 500 million VND, now I can’t borrow anymore. But I will never give up, I have to work hard and manage to treat my child,” Mr. Lang shared.

1 year after Anh’s right leg was amputated above the knee due to bone cancer, his father had to carry him every time he moved. After the wound healed completely, he learned to walk with crutches. Confiding in us, he said that at the most beautiful age of his life, when he lost his right leg, he could not avoid feelings of guilt and inferiority.

But Anh quickly regained balance in his thoughts, comforting himself to try to overcome. “I thought about three days and nights of taking care of me. So you need to live optimistically and positively. When this door closes, a new one will open. I lost a leg but if I live longer, I’m ready to accept it,” he said.

However, starting a new life with only one truth left is not easy. He tried to practice walking with his prosthetic leg 5 days/week. It’s difficult, but he said he never gives up, constantly strives to be a strong spiritual support for his father.

When I asked what your wish was? He smiled happily: “I am fulfilling my wish of getting a prosthetic leg to return to school. The doctor said that if I practice well, I will be fitted with a prosthetic leg and discharged from the hospital soon.”

Asked about his dream, Anh’s face became sad and then fell silent. Only then did Anh say: “I dream of becoming a doctor to treat people, especially people with serious illnesses like me. But since the day I got bone cancer and lost a leg, I didn’t dare think about my dream anymore.”

According to Mr. Lang, the cost to install a prosthetic leg for Anh was nearly 50 million VND. Currently, he does not know where to find the money to install a prosthetic leg for his child.

There are many pitiful lives when facing the evil cancer disease. Only when you set foot in the hospital can you understand how sick people have to endure physical pain every day, and families who are broke due to illness and still try to “hang on” to treat their children.