Finding Hope to Overcome Cancer

After receiving the results from the doctor, Ms Nguyen Thi Lan, a 53-year-old woman from HCMC, felt she had just been given the death sentence. She had a lump on her neck which over time became more and more painful and then when examined, was identified as a cancerous tumour and was an unforgettable shock. All her thoughts, intentions, and dreams for the future seem to fade away in front of her eyes. When all seemed lost, however, Ms Lan found an important glimmer of hope to keep her going thanks to her love for her family and the dedication of her doctors.

Initially, Ms Lan suffered from a painful cough which had lasted for a long time. She then detected a lump on her neck, and thought that her incessant coughing caused an infection within the blood vessels. The ORL doctor of a hospital in Go Vap district, however, advised that, as she had more strange signs than usual from a common cold, she should have the lump checked. After visiting many medical institutions, Ms Lan was given the result that she had cancer on the base of her tongue. When hearing the news, Ms Lan decided to keep it to herself as she did not want to upset and worry everyone in her family.

Following her diagnosis, a leading doctor introduced her to Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre at FV Hospital. The doctor shared that there were several places in Ho Chi Minh City where her condition could be treated, but if possible, she should go to Hy Vong Centre because of its high quality service, expertise as well as the facilities and equipment the centre has.

Following that advice, Ms Lan sought treatment at Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre and met with Dr Basma M’Barek, a French doctor, who thoroughly explained to her the condition and treatment plan. Ms Lan was suffering from adrenal cancer- stage 2 which had spread to the metastasis of the neck. Though she had been mentally preparing herself for this news for a long time, when she heard this, Ms Lan still could not hold her shock and found it hard to accept. With her family now informed, they wanted her to seek the treatment she needed abroad. For Ms Lan, however, as she could converse in French with Dr Basma, she felt a great sense of empathy, professionalism and positive energy from the doctor during the days of her examination at Hy Vong Centre.

“Doctor Basma is highly experienced and really wants to help me, why do I need to go abroad for treatment?”, Ms Lan shared with her family before confirming she wanted to receive treatment at the Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre from Dr Basma M’Barek, the head of the department.

After a consultation with specialists, based on Ms Lan’s CT scans which showed the large size of lump, the doctors decided to apply chemotherapy and radiation at the same time to treat her. After the 4th chemotherapy session, the assessment showed that Ms Lan’s body was able to respond to nearly 50% of the treatment. However, when entering the simultaneous chemotherapy combination treatment regime, the tissues in her neck showed signs of sensitivity and excessive redness which caused her pain, and subsequently she was unable to eat or drink. Her relatives expressed their concern and suggested that treatment abroad or a more spiritual treatment would be a better option instead.

Having to raise her children alone, Ms Lan found a new sense of determination to fight her condition as she could not bear the thought of her children being left alone. She shared: “Sometimes I felt so miserable, I wanted to give up. However, seeing that my children lost their father, I suddenly felt that now it is my turn to stand up and fight this, and no longer feel pity for myself.”

Knowing that her family would always be by her side, and thinking of her young children who still needed her, Ms Lan’s determination to overcome cancer became stronger than ever. Coupled with the enthusiasm and experience seen from Dr Basma, Ms Lan also became determined that Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre would be the best place to fight the condition.

For Ms Lan, in addition to her medical treatment, other important factors in the overcoming of her cancer were thanks to the counselling she received for psychological and nutritional support. Not to mention, the encouragement, caring gestures, and enthusiasm from all the staff, or “sisters-in-house” as Ms Lan called them, at the Hy Vong Centre, who she shared were all great in supporting her to continue her battle with cancer.

Through such a tough battle, with many different emotional steps, for Ms Lan, finding the hope to go on at the time when she needed it most was the key to overcoming her condition. “You need trust and perseverance from the doctor and the patient, and not to be affected by anything other people may say which may make the treatment procedure more difficult” Ms Lan shared. To fight cancer, in addition to having access to modern cancer treatment, keeping an optimistic outlook and a will to fight is incredibly important. To help achieve this, patients should find a hospital that they can trust both for its quality in providing medical treatment as well as its ability to stay by their side, and support them and their relatives through the most difficult times.