Healing the poetic hearts

Fix heart error

During recess, little boy Nguyen Gia Bao, class 3D, Phu Thu Primary School (Kinh Mon) plays happily with his friends. Few people know that Gia Bao had minimally invasive surgery to repair a ventricular septal defect last January. He has had heart disease since he was young, and lacked the love of his mother. Luckily, he is well taken care of by his grandmother.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luyen, Gia Bao's grandmother, always wished to have enough money for heart surgery for her grandson so that he could be as healthy as his peers. Mrs. Luyen said that Gia Bao's parents broke up when he was young, and he had congenital heart disease, so he was self-conscious and quiet. Gia Bao had difficulty breathing after just a little bit of strenuous exercise and sweated profusely. Fortunately, at the end of 2023, Hanoi Heart Hospital came to Hai Duong to examine and screen for congenital heart disease in children, and Gia Bao had the opportunity to receive 100% financial support from the hospital for surgery.

In October 2023, for the first time, Hanoi Heart Hospital coordinated with the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to organize free cardiovascular screening and detection for children in Hai Duong. In just 1 day of examination, 213 children were examined for cardiovascular diseases and doctors discovered that 25 children had congenital heart disease, 16 children were indicated for surgery. 5 children were successfully operated on by Hanoi Heart Hospital. The remaining children are being monitored and scheduled for surgery at an appropriate time.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thai, Social Work Department (Hanoi Heart Hospital) said that screening is very important for early detection of congenital heart disease in children. Many children, because their families cannot afford to take them for early screening, are diagnosed with severe disease, making treatment difficult and raising funds for surgery difficult.

Also having his son's heart healed by doctors, Mr. Nguyen Duc Xuyen, father of Nguyen Duc Minh in Vinh Hung commune (Binh Giang) shared: "The cost of heart surgery is quite large, costing hundreds of millions of dong while the family's economy is difficult. Luckily, during the recent heart examination and screening, Viettel Hai Duong and Tam Long Viet Fund supported 100% of the surgery cost in time. Currently, my son's health has improved a lot."

Adding hope

There are many children in Hai Duong who are born with heart disease. Due to difficult circumstances, even though they know their child is sick, many families still cannot take their child to have heart surgery in time. “A miracle happened when my daughter received free heart surgery from benefactors and doctors from Hanoi E Hospital. After nearly a year of heart surgery, my daughter is now healthy,” said Nguyen Thi Hong, mother of Tran Thi Phuong in Thanh Mien town.

Mr. Vu Hong Quan, Head of the Department of Children and Gender Equality, Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said that in recent times, to heal the arrhythmic hearts of Hai Duong children, there has been active support from many hospitals, organizations and compassionate individuals. In particular, the Vietnam Children's Fund has coordinated with domestic and foreign organizations to screen and detect early heart disease for many children under 16 years old in the province. Through examination, many children were found to have congenital heart disease. "The heart screening and surgery support programs implemented in the province in recent times have lit up faith and hope for many families. When children have healthy hearts, the future is brighter," Mr. Quan affirmed.

To continue the miraculous journey with Hai Duong children, Hanoi Heart Hospital plans to carry out the screening and support program for congenital heart surgery for children in the area for the second time this year. Children from policy families, poor households, near-poor households, and those in especially difficult circumstances who are indicated for surgery or cardiovascular intervention after examination will receive free surgery support. This is an opportunity for the hearts of Hai Duong children to be healed and cared for promptly.