A poor woman in the northern province of Hung Yen is in need of community support to treat her serious heart disease now affecting her brain.

Mrs. Thuy and her husband

Hoang Thi Thuy has been told that she needs surgery more than one year ago. However, her family could not afford the operation, estimated at hundreds of millions of VND. She was forced to forgo the recommended treatment. Now her disease has progressed to the point that it is affecting her speech.

Her four-member family now lives in a house of less than 30 square metres, located in a rough part of Khoai Chau District.

Her daughter, who is now in the ninth grade, said Mrs. Thuy has been speechless for over two years.  Her husband, Nguyen Trong Lai, said that his family is helpless to help her condition because of their financial situation. She is often unconscious, racked by disease.

Paltry meals for Thuy 

Being the sole breadwinner, he is still unable to help his wife with her medical condition.

Every day, Thuy also stays in bed, depending on other people to help with daily activities. Doctors at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi said that, with an early operation, she still has a chance to live.