Happy hearts !

Nam Giang is a mountainous district where we are currently doing Primary Health care. Following a recent day trip up there to present some nutrition education, we added a cardiac home visit to our schedule. It was to become one of the most heart breaking situations that we have come across.

There was some degree of difficulty in finding the correct house. It is located on a bad road which was also under repair. Finally we found her “house”. We should say her house is more like a shed with barely any walls. It is very small and very basic! When we arrived she was there with her daughter who is 7 years old. She is a very cute little girl, a good daughter who  obviously loves her mother very much She did her best to join in the conversation and also answer our questions.

 Hanh is a 34 years old woman who was married 8 years ago, and was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Stenosis shortly after giving birth to her daughter 7 years ago, when the condition was already severe. The doctor indicated surgery but they could not afford it. Unfortunately she then suffered a stroke. Her husband ran away after he found out his wife had a heart defect. He has remarried  and has 2 children. Hanh had to leave her husband's house and bring up her little daughter.She moved back to her family and they now live in a lean-to next to her parent’s house as  the main house is very crowded with other family members.The walls of her house are very thin and certainly not waterproof for the upcoming rainy season. This structure is located right beside the family pigsty. She has a very simple kitchen where she can cook when she feels well enough. Some family members living in the main house were unwilling to provide and care  for Hanh and her daughter. Hanh and her daughter live separately except for the times when she is so sick and unable to walk or do things by herself. Her elderly parents (who are 65 years old) have been taking care of them for a long time. The entire family are farmers and are extremely poor.

After visiting her on that trip, we had many discussions and tried to find the best ways to help her. We contacted other NGO's and the local government to see if they could build a house. They will consider building her a better house. We then bought Hanh and her daughter some lovely gifts : a dress, schoolbag and a blanket for the coming winter.
VNHIP were able to provide her with the remainder of the money for her heart surgery. 3 weeks later she had her surgery in Da Nang hospital. We visited after her surgery and she was crying tears of happiness. We are also very happy  with this outcome and feel sure that both Hanh and her daughter can now look forward to  a brighter and healthier future.