"My heart aches every time I see my son cry inconsolably," he said.

Luong, a durian farmer in Binh Long Town, Dong Nai Province, divorced his first wife over 10 years ago. After his two daughters, now 25 and 27, settled into their jobs in Ho Chi Minh City, he remarried a woman from his hometown.

However, in mid-2023, their relationship deteriorated, and his wife left for Hanoi for work, leaving behind their son, Duy Khang, born in 2021, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Dinh Duy Luong and his son in Ho Chi Minh City, 4/2025. Photo: Provided by the subject

In early 2024, Khang developed a mild fever and bruise-like spots on his arms, as if he had fallen. Initially, Luong dismissed it as a minor illness. However, when Khang lost feeling in his left arm, a panicked Luong took him to dozens of clinics and hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province, but the cause remained unknown. Almost a month later, the symptoms spread to his left leg, which also became paralyzed.

At Children's Hospital 2, after a week of observation and a biopsy, doctors diagnosed Khang with leukemia. "Hearing the news, my head spun. I didn't know what to do," Luong recalled.

That night, father and son held each other and cried. Luong's only asset was a small brick house with a corrugated iron roof, inherited from his parents, along with a durian orchard that yielded a mere 2 million VND per month.

After Khang fell asleep, Luong called almost everyone in his contacts list to borrow 10 million VND to take his son to the hospital. In 4/2024, Khang began his first round of chemotherapy, accompanied by the doctor's encouragement: "You have to stay strong to fight alongside your son."

Khang became the youngest "warrior" in the ward. A picky eater before, his illness made it even harder for him to eat. After the first round of chemotherapy, he was bedridden for over a month, his weight plummeting from 18kg to 12kg, his legs weak and limp. Every afternoon, Luong would help his son practice walking in the hospital corridor, but after a few steps, Khang would stumble and burst into tears.

Dinh Duy Khang at a playground in Ho Chi Minh City, 4/2025. Photo: Provided by the subject

"There were many times I wanted to give up, but looking at my son, I couldn't," Luong said. Last summer, doctors allowed Khang to go home. He would often sit in the front yard, gazing wistfully at other children playing.

One afternoon, seeing children his age running and jumping, Khang eagerly asked his father to help him chase after them. From those first hesitant steps, he gradually learned to walk, then run. Luong wept with joy.

During the second and third phases of treatment, Khang's health recovered quickly, but eating remained a struggle. Every day, Luong relied on donated meals and spent all his money on porridge and milk for his son.

"But a three-year-old needs a mother's love more than food," he said. Although only three and unable to speak much, Khang keenly felt his mother's absence and the pain of his illness.

In mid-April, during a bone marrow aspiration, Khang was lying in his hospital bed when his mother visited. At first, he only vaguely recognized her figure until she called his name. Khang jumped up and hugged her tightly. Both father and son wept.

"Children don't understand much, but they suffer the most," Luong said. "I just hope my son has his mother's love to help him overcome this illness."

But the cost of his son's treatment remains a heavy burden. Khang will have to follow the treatment plan for three to five years, costing hundreds of millions of VND. The success rate is high, but if he develops drug resistance, they will have to change the treatment plan.

"I can only try my best. Every day we get through is precious," Luong said.

With the aim of inspiring hope for children with difficult circumstances, the Hope Foundation has partnered with Ong Mat Troi to launch the Sun of Hope program. Every contribution from the community is a ray of light sent to the future generation of the country. Readers can support the program here:

Program Name: Your Name - Sun of Hope

Program ID: 195961

Ngoc Ngan