A 12-year-old girl from a poor family in an ethnic minority community in the central province of Nghe An is in desperate need of money to treat ocular lymphoma.

 Go's enlarged eye

Vu Y Go from the Mong ethnic minority group is being treated at the Surgery Department of Nghe An Oncology Hospital. Her left eye bulges out of the socket and dark pus pours down her face. Because her parents cannot speak the Vietnamese language, Go is stays alone in the hospital with Vu Ba Go, a villager who acts as her interpreter.

 Another villager takes care of Go in hospital

Go's house is in Phu Kha 1 Village, Ky Son District, a village in the mountains near the Vietnam-Laos border. Go does not go to school, but helps her family by working the fields. "It takes three hours to travel from the fields to the house, so they stayed in the fields most of the time," Vu Ba Go said.

Three months ago, Go's left eye suddenly got swollen and became painful. Thinking that she had a normal eye infection, her parents tried to use herbal medicine, but the pain became worse and the eye only got bigger. Villagers were shocked when Go returned from the fields with an enlarged and darkened eye.

There are 70 households in the villages that contributed what money they could to help Go get treated in the hospital, where she was diagnosed with ocular lymphoma. The test results showed that her tumor has taken over the nasal cavity, eye socket and maxillary sinus. Several places show signs of necrosis and the left eye is being pushed out of its socket.

 Left eye being pushed out of socket

Dr. Vu Dinh Giap, from the Surgery Department of Nghe An Oncology Hospital, said they would have to remove the left eye, which would be followed by multiple sessions of chemotherapy, in order to save the girl's life. "The cost very high and both of her parents are unable to be with her at the hospital. She needs help from the community," he said.

The tumor makes it difficult for Go to breath, and the pain at night makes sleeping almost impossible. The money given by villagers is running out and cannot cover hospital costs. A villager said, "I called her parents but nobody can make it out here. I may have to bring her back home."

The families of other patients also sympathised with the girl and tried to set up a fund to help her. "She often sat alone in her bed. We couldn't even chat with her because she doesn't speak Vietnamese. I hope kind people will help to cure her," another patient in the room said.

If you can help, please make donation through:

1. Code 1338: Vu Y Go from Phu Kha 1 Village, Na Ngoi Commune, Ky Son District, Nghe An Province