New Cardiac Patient Home Visit

New cardiac patient

We feel very good that the Hoi An Foundation has helped many people over the last eight years. But, only being here infrequently, I find that I become somewhat insulated from the severe situations that many of our recipients endure daily.

Yesterday we visited a patient whose heart surgery we plan to fund. She lives an hour and a half from Hoi An in an area I would describe as the “country”. Our driver showed his driving skills by avoiding any car damage even though we had to go through about 50 water filled potholes. On every one, you could see his mind churning as he decided to go right, left or the center.

We had trouble finding the home and had to stop and ask questions frequently. As we got closer, people seemed to know the lady with the heart problem. I like that aspect of Vietnamese society - everyone knows their neighbors and they are usually willing to help.

Unfortunately, when we got there, she wasn’t home. This lady has such a severe heart problem that in America, the patient would be confined to their home waiting for surgery. This lady was working in the rice fields, even though she had very little energy and was in fairly constant pain.

The neighbors were able to find her and bring her to us. She looked a little frightened. We were in her mother in law’s house – the four of us, her two brother in laws and about 20 neighbors. Josh and I were probably the only westerners who were in this area in many years.

Patients house build by the government

The family had told us her story – she was 41, a widow, 2 children – both with mental problems, one lived at home, the other in an orphanage in Da Nang. She has a bad kidney problem that has to be fixed before heart surgery. Her home is a very Spartan building. In the west we always divide things into needs and wants. She definitely didn’t have any wants since she barely had any needs. 

She had to work just to live – like many Vietnamese. But because of her condition, she couldn’t work as much as she wanted to. Her husband had died of cancer a few years ago, so her income was all she lived on. Rice field workers don’t make very much.

Talking with the patient and neighbors

It’s hard to see a situation like this and not think about how lucky we are based on one thing –where we were born.

Our donation for the surgery will be a $1,300.  It will allow her to have normal energy again and without constant pain. I’ll write another blog when her surgery is done.

For all the people who donate to the Hoi An Foundation, this is where your money is used. You can definitely know that your funds go a long way here. This lady will not know which ones of you funded her surgery, she will just know that her life is much better.