In mid-October 2025, 13-year-old Bao Chau, the eldest daughter of Ms. Hong Cuc, a college lecturer in Ho Chi Minh City, developed a fever and sore throat. Blood test results revealed abnormal anemia. Following a bone marrow aspiration at the Children's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer caused by gene mutation.

The devastating news shattered the family. On the evening they received the results, the couple decided not to hide the illness. That same night, Ms. Cuc and her husband explained to their daughter what blood cancer is, why she needed hospital treatment, and that she would undergo three rounds of chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant. Their biggest concern was how their 13-year-old daughter would cope with the shock.

After hearing this, Chau fell silent before bursting into tears. "I just wish I could go back to school", she said.

Ms. Hong Cuc's family in 2022. Photo courtesy of interviewee

The next day, Chau took a leave from school for treatment, and Ms. Cuc also took leave from work to care for her daughter. After three rounds of chemotherapy, Chau received a stem cell transplant from her father, 41-year-old Vinh Phuc.

The misfortunes did not stop there. Following the transplant, Chau experienced severe neck pain, unable to sit or walk. An MRI scan detected a tumor in the spinal cord region of cervical vertebrae C2 and C3. A few weeks later, she developed hepatic vein occlusion. Around the same time, Mr. Phuc suffered from a prolonged fever, his condition worsened, and he required intensive care treatment. A biopsy at Trieu An Hospital, later confirmed at the Hospital of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, revealed he had lymphoma.

"I couldn't stand firm, I never thought such misfortunes would continuously befall my family", Ms. Cuc recounted.

Chau was treated in the transplant ward and had to be isolated with her mother. Mr. Phuc was in a different ward, cared for by his mother, who traveled from Dong Thap. From then on, the couple could only check on each other via phone. Each time he called, Mr. Phuc would ask how his daughter was doing. On one occasion, Chau asked her mother to video call her father. On the other end, he just nodded and quickly hung up, not wanting his daughter to see him cry.

There were days when Ms. Cuc both comforted her daughter to take medicine and waited for calls from her husband's ward. Each time the phone rang, she anxiously feared receiving bad news. "What tormented me most was not being able to be by my husband's side when he was in critical condition", Ms. Cuc said.

After 9 days of medication, Chau's hepatic vein occlusion gradually stabilized. Mr. Phuc also responded to treatment and continued with a regimen of six rounds of chemotherapy.

However, the family faced significant financial pressure. The cost of treatment for both husband and daughter over many months depleted their savings. Money borrowed from relatives was used to pay hospital bills and medication.

"As long as my husband and daughter have a chance, I will fight to the very end", Ms. Cuc stated.

With the goal of igniting hope for pediatric patients in difficult circumstances, Hope Foundation, in collaboration with Ong Mat Troi, launched the Sun of Hope program. Every contribution from the community adds a ray of light to the nation's future generation. Readers can support the program here:

Program name: Ten cua ban - Mat troi Hy vong

Program ID: 195961

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