A strange illness has shrunk the right part of a little girl's body, and simultaneously enlarged the left side. Because of a lack of funds, the illness has yet to be diagnosed or treated.

 Dinh Hong Tham's body was deformed

The six-year-old girl is Dinh Thi Hong Tham. She currently lives with her grandparents in Cai Rang District, Can Tho City.

Dinh Van Ga, Tham's grandfather, said she was totally healthy at birth, however, three months later, her left eye became bigger and full of eye-jelly. The eye-jelly went away after she was treated at the local clinic but the left eye remained proportionately larger than the other parts of her body.

Because the family is poor, Tham's grandfather was not able to take her to hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment. One month later, Tham's left leg became bigger while the right leg shrunk. Next, her left hand and part of her head enlarged. When Tham was two years old, the left side of her back grew larger than the right side and big black spots developed on her skin.

Another strange thing is that Tham's teeth only seem to grow normally on the lower jaw. She lost the teeth three times in the past two years but they all grew back quickly. Because of the illness Tham was unable to speak or walk until she was five, but even then, she still could not speak or walk properly.

 Part of her back enlarged

Tham has to depend on her grandparents for everything because when she was three months old, her parents left to find jobs in other areas. But luck just does not smile upon them.

With no money and no job, Tham's grandparents brought her along to the Tan Long rubbish dump in Hau Giang Province. They let Tham, who is also a quiet girl, go into the dump to dig for items that can be resold on the dump several hours later. They were able to amass an income of VND50-70,000 a day (USD2.4-3.4).

Three years ago, the dumping ground was moved so they returned to Can Tho City to sell lotto.

 Tham and her grandmother

Worse came to worst when Tham's grandfather fell and broke a cervical vertebra. He then had to stay home while Tham's grandmother brought Tham along when she went to sell lotto. On a good day, they could earn about VND70-80,000. But on a bad day, they could be robbed, and lose everything they made that day.

Lu Thi Hong, Tham's grandmother, said, "We've tried to take care of her but earning some rice is difficult. We're getting old now and will surely suffer old age-related illnesses. I'm worried for her future."

Deputy chairwoman of Ba Lang Ward People's Committee, Le Thi Thuy Loan, said, "Ga and his wife are poor and not in good health at all. On top of that they also have to take care of a disabled grand-daughter. We understand their situation but with our limited budget we can only help so much." We hope kind-hearted donors will extend help to them so they can take Tham to hospital."

If you can help Tham, please make donation through:

1. Dinh Van Ga, No.298 in area no.2, Ba Lang Ward, Cai Rang District, Can Tho City.

Tel: 01283.472.582

2. Compassionate Hearts Charity Fund – Dan tri Newspaper (Hanoi)

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