Nguyen Cong Hau, age 12, was born with severe Eczema and it has been a constant struggle for his parents to keep care of him.

Below is a touching letter from Hau:

“My name is Nguyen Cong Hau. I live at 1142/1, Group 19, Street 2, Ngo Chi Quoc Road, Binh Chieu Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City.

I write this letter and hope that any doctor who might read it can help to cure me of my disease so I can hang out with my friends. I want to join them but when they see me, they run away. I feel very sad and I cry. I have only my mother and brothers to play with.

I wish I could go to school like my friends do. I don’t like to study alone at home. My mother told me that I was born with a disease which irritates my skin, makes it red, makes it crack and bleed.

Every night, before I go to bed, I wish that God will bless me and heal my disease so I can go out and play with my friends in my hamlet.”

Hau’s appearance makes his friends stay away from him

After reading Hau’s letter, DTiNews went to visit him. He looks younger than his age, is very thin, and has wrinkled and bright red skin. He kept scratching his body which is constantly itchy.

Nguyen Thi Kim Chau, Hau’s mother, said that his skin is red like this all the time. If they do not apply medicine to his skin, it starts cracking and bleeding. In the morning, his whole body is peeling, moisture comes out and he needs to take bath with Cetaphil medicine followed by applying more medicine. He needs to take a bath like this in the afternoon and late evening. He has to take sleeping pills every night otherwise he can not sleep due to his constant itching. His life has been connected with medicine like this for 12 years.

He spent his childhood at home or at the Dermatology and Venerology hospital. He has no friends and does not go to school.

“I sent him to school earlier. His disease is not infectious but many other parents worried about their children. In addition, his classmates often bullied and teased him until he dreaded going to school,” said Chau.

His parents tried to save money to hire a student to teach Hau at home but it hasn't worked out. Currently, Hau is studying a third grade curriculum. Hau said, “I like mathematics most.”

Chau said Hau’s skin has been bright red since he was born and began increasingly cracking as he grew older. He was diagnosed with a severe condition of Eczema. Doctors said if he is treated regularly, he can live long. He stayed in the hospital for a 2 month treatment, then they had to take him home because they ran out of money. Each time they brought Hau to the hospital, it costs them nearly VND1 million ($52.63).

Chau sells lottery tickets to earn money and her husband is a xe om (motorcycle taxi driver). They have five people in their family to take care of. Hau’s family is ranked as an impoverished one in the ward. They receive an allowance of VND150,000 ($7.9) per month which is not enough for Hau’s medicine. The couple still cannot save enough money to take Hau to the hospital to be re-examined leaving them feeling helpless.

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