“I am afraid that when my child gets older, he will be aware of the difference in his face, making him feel self-deprecating and ashamed,” said the mother of the boy with a “monkey” face.
On the day of knowing the good news, Hoang Thi Nhat and her husband (SN 1989) and Mr. Lo Van Phang (SN 1987) lived in Chao Ha 1 village, Nghia Loi commune (Nghia Lo, Yen Bai) extremely happy.
In 2011, after a period of pregnancy, the couple happily welcomed their first son, named Lo Bao Trong with the wish that the child would be healthy and peaceful.
But happiness was short-lived when they were informed by the doctor that their son was born with a congenital melanoma, causing his face to become deformed, making the family extremely sad.
Nhat’s family next to a temporary house.
“Mom, why is my face black, not white like you guys?”
Talking about her son, Ms. Nhat Tears with her back said that during pregnancy, she ate very carefully and often went to antenatal care. However, nothing unusual was found.
After the baby was born with a “strange” face, curious people came to see it. “There are people who have a bad mouth and say that my child is a monkey face, a forest man, because my family is like this, that…, making me feel even more sorry for him” – Ms. Nhat said.
To ignore those harsh words, Nhat and her husband encouraged each other to think positively to “raise children well” and help children not feel guilty.
Wherever the tumor spread, the skin was dark and the hair grew long, causing many people to call Trong a “monkey face” boy, a “forest man” boy.
Many times I play with friends or go to the market with my mother, some people are curious pointing at me. Because the child is still young, he is not aware of the strangeness on the face, so he is still very carefree.
Now that I’m 6 years old, sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and ask: “Mom, why is my face black and not white like your friends?” Nhat had to pretend to ignore it, directing her son to something else.
“At times like these, I love my children even more, because my family is poor, so I can’t afford to take my child for surgery,” said Nhat sweetly.
Trong’s left cheek, nose, and eyebrows are almost completely covered by the tumor.
Afraid that your child will be self-deprecating when he realizes the difference
According to Ms. Nhat, when Trong was 18 months old, a charity took him to a major hospital in Hanoi for surgery. But only once, this organization disbanded, while the surgery to give baby Trong a normal face is a long journey.
Because the tumor spreads on the face, there are some places such as eyes, nose, and lips that are very sensitive, so it cannot be operated at the same time. While, “Mrs. Nhat’s family’s economic conditions are poor, the whole family only depends on the field and a small grocery store, so there is no money to take Trong for further surgery.
The evil disease caused Trong to live under the bad suggestions of the villagers.
Unable to cure her child’s illness, Nhat suffered greatly and her only wish at this time was to have a miracle so that her son could be normal like other children.
Especially, she could not avoid her son’s question forever, she was afraid that at some point her son would realize the difference in his face and be self-deprecating and ashamed of everyone.
Talking about the case of Ms. Nhat’s family, Mr. Lo Van Cu – Vice Chairman of Nghia Loi Commune (Nghia Lo, Yen Bai) said: “Mr. Phang’s family, Ms. Nhat belongs to the poor household in the commune, lives with two wives. My husband has many difficulties.. Trong has been born with melanoma since childhood. Even though his family has taken him to surgery once, it has not been cured. I also hope that benefactors can help so that Trong can cure”.