Born with the serious blood disorder thalassemia, high school student Lam Thi Tuyet Nhi has not let the disease deter her from pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher.

An inherited disorder, thalassemia is a disease which makes the body produce an abnormal form of hemoglobin.

Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, meaning that without regular blood transfusions, Nghi, who was diagnosed in 2011, would not survive.

Living in government-funded housing on land donated by the Catholic church in Phu Tay Ward, Mo Cay Bac District, Ben Tre Province – 100km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City – along with her family, Nghi makes the expensive trip to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Hematology and Blood Transfusion on a monthly basis.

Certificate of poverty

Between 2011 and 2013, before Nghi’s family was issued an official certificate of poverty by the government, they were forced to cover the cost of the blood transfusions (US$60), and the $20 round-fare bus trip themselves.

The amount was way beyond the average monthly income of homes officially classified as poor – currently set at $35.

Nghi’s older sister, Lam Thi Tuyet Van, who is enrolled in a Catholic convent, shares her sister’s fate too, also suffering from the disease. 

Despite her thalassemia and financial difficulty, Lam Thi Tuyet Nhi still tries her best to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Adding to the family’s woes, Nhi's father, who is a manual laborer, is himself afflicted by chronic disc-herniation in his back, meaning he is sometimes prevented from going to work.

When able to, he sets aside his entire earnings for the treatment of his daughter, while his own condition continues to deteriorate.

Nghi's mother, who also scratches out a meager income, said that during this time she was often forced to take out micro-loans from whoever she could.

Describing the difficulty she felt to be continually asking for money, she would turn to her customers first, asking them to pay in advance, before going to family members as a last resort.

A helping hand

In 2013, Nghi's family received relief from their financial burden when they were officially certified as a poor household and granted a public healthcare insurance number.

Since then, they have not had to cover the cost of Nghi’s monthly blood transfusions, but must still pay just under $40 for medications and laboratory diagnosis themselves.

The certificate also qualifies them to take out official bank loans, which they are using to pay back their relatives.

Despite often being in great physical pain, Nghi continues to help out in the house and support her mother in her job. 

Talking about her dream of becoming a teacher, she says, "I will do my best at school so that I can become a teacher.

“I want to help poor students, just like the teachers did who reached out for me."

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