16-year-old student battles colon cancer

After undergoing two surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy for colon cancer, 16-year-old Nguyen Thao Ngoc longs to recover and return to school.

In late October, Nguyen Thao Ngoc returned home to Mai On village, Dong Bang commune, after completing a chemotherapy session at K Hospital, Tan Trieu facility, in Ha Noi. An artificial anus has been a constant companion for the student for over a year.

"Now I cannot even perform personal activities independently," Ngoc lamented, "and I do not know when I will be able to return to school."

In 7/2025, Ngoc began experiencing severe, prolonged abdominal pain and bloating. After 10 days of local treatment for a digestive disorder brought no relief, her family took her to Ha Noi. A biopsy confirmed Ngoc had colon cancer. Doctors performed two surgeries: removing the diseased bowel segment and creating an artificial anus on her abdominal wall. Once the surgical wounds healed, Ngoc started combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy cycles.

Her treating doctor reported that the disease was progressing rapidly, carrying a high risk of recurrence and metastasis. The artificial anus also caused significant inconvenience in the student's daily life.

"Every time we change the bag or clean the wound, she experiences stinging pain," shared Nguyen Thi Lan, Ngoc's mother. "I have stayed awake many nights, worried she might accidentally press on the stoma while sleeping."

Faced with her daughter's serious illness and her husband's legal troubles, Lan quit her job in Dong Nai, moving her four children to Hung Yen to live with her uncle. Ngoc's three younger siblings, aged 7-13, remain at home, managing cooking, laundry, and walking to school.

On the day of her daughter's admission, Lan borrowed more than 10 million dong from relatives for the initial hospital deposit. Throughout the first week of chemotherapy, Ngoc suffered continuous vomiting and rapid weight loss. When her platelet and white blood cell counts dropped below safe levels, triggering high fevers, doctors had to postpone medication infusions and order blood transfusions to support her overall condition.

While health insurance has covered most hospital fees, the family still struggles to manage living expenses and out-of-pocket medication costs. Providing full-time care for her daughter has meant the mother lost her income. The mother and daughter often rely on charity groups for meals at the hospital.

According to doctors, surgically closing the artificial anus will only be considered once malignant cells are controlled and the patient's physical condition has fully recovered.

On days when her fever subsided after a chemotherapy cycle, Ngoc would ask her mother to take her to school. The student brings her 11th-grade textbooks to her hospital room to self-study, maintaining her aspiration to pursue a career in education.

"I hope my test results improve so my mother suffers less, and I can attend school regularly like my friends," Ngoc expressed.