TAIPEI (The China Post) — A Vietnamese single mother recently called on the Taiwanese public for assistance in saving her son, who has cancer and is currently comatose.
The hardworking mother, surnamed Huang, has lived in Taiwan for 18 years now and was initially happily married to her Taiwanese husband. However, just two years after she settled here, her husband lost his job and never got another one again.
Desperate to support her family and her child, she sought work at an electronics company and often took her son with her after work to work part-time at a restaurant.
During this time, her husband began drinking excessively and was often emotionally unstable afterward.
Huang endured all this until three years prior when she finally divorced her husband. However, her happy days were numbered as soon after, she discovered that her son had cancer.
According to various Chinese-language media, Huang explained that her son discovered an unusual lump on his neck in June this year, and was soon diagnosed with lymphoma. After seeking medical help, doctors discovered that he had leukemia in August, and his situation began deteriorating greatly.
During this time, he went into a coma, leaving Huang to travel daily between Hsinchu and Taipei just to get to his hospital room in time for visiting hours.
Upon learning of her situation, the Zhudong township office of Hsinchu County (竹東鎮公所) assisted Huang in applying for subsidies as a low-income household, and schoolmates from her son’s class also made videos to encourage him to get well soon.
Local politicians also joined in the effort to help Huang, and county councilor Du Wen-chung (杜文中) recently donated NT$50,000 in the hopes that others will follow suit.
In order to take care of her son, she has applied for a three-month leave of absence from her job and is therefore in financial difficulties. She hopes that the public can lend a helping hand to help her through this difficult time.