LD26037: The difficult situation of a visually impaired woman with breast cancer

Congenitally blind, born into a poor household in a remote mountainous area, the life of Ms. Trieu Thi So (born in 1991, Dao ethnicity) was already burdened with disadvantages. However, when breast cancer struck, that visually impaired woman seemed to be pushed to the extreme of hardship.

Born and raised in Na Khoang residential group, Na Phac commune, Thai Nguyen, Ms. So unfortunately became blind from a young age. Rich with two eyes, poor with two hands, her eyes cannot see light, making her already miserable life even more difficult. Marrying a husband who is hardworking, the two spouses rely on each other, farming, saving every meal of vegetables and porridge to get through the day.

The life was poor but full of human warmth when two children were born one after another, the older one is now 7 years old, and the younger one is only 4 years old. Despite all kinds of shortages, the small family still tried to manage and cling to the remote village.

However, storms continued to hit. In July 2025, Ms. So developed symptoms of pain and tightness in her right chest. Thinking it was just a normal pain, she hesitated to go for an examination. When the prolonged pain did not subside, she was taken to the hospital by her family and was stunned when she received a diagnosis of right breast cancer.

In the early days of knowing she had a serious illness, Ms. So's spirit completely collapsed. All misfortune seemed to fall on the shoulders of that small woman. But thinking of her two young children who were still too young, thinking of her hardworking husband, she tried to steer into the treatment journey with a faint hope of returning to her family.

According to Dr. Nguyen Van Tung (Department of Internal Medicine 6, K Hospital, where patient So is directly treated), the treatment regimen for Ms. So includes chemotherapy combined with target drugs, then surgery, radiation therapy and maintenance of target drugs for one year. "Currently, the patient has only undergone a chemotherapy course. It is expected that the cost of target drugs alone has reached about 200 million VND - a very large number compared to the patient's family circumstances," Dr. Tung said.

Sharing in sobs, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang - Ms. So's husband - said: "My family is classified as a poor household, we don't have a house, we have to stay with my grandmother. Since my wife got sick, my husband and I have had to go to K Hospital for treatment, sending our two young children to her to take care of, while she is also old and sick. Income depends only on agriculture, money has been scraped together for treatment. Up to now, even the daily food money of my husband and I has run out. I don't know where to get 200 million VND to continue treating my wife...".

Faced with this particularly difficult situation, the hospital has supported meals, charity gifts and connected with philanthropists. However, the treatment journey is still long, and more community participation and sharing are needed to add hope of survival for the visually impaired woman who is struggling with illness.

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