Nearly
150,000 people are diagnosed with cancer annually in Vietnam, and experts
predict the disease will affect more and more young people.
The
Creator endows humans a life to live, but also sets a deadline for life to come
to an end. Nothing or no one can defy nature, but it is unbearable that in just
a week, I had to say goodbye forever to two of my loved ones and received bad
news that another is going to die.
All of
them were young. The youngest was just 21 and the oldest was 54, and they were
both victims of cancer - a nightmare for all generations, and a disease in
which science seems to find no weapon to fight.
Tran Van
Trung, the youngest, was a student at the PolytechnicUniversity.
He died
this year of blood cancer while still finishing his school year.
The young
man was the pride and joy of his mother, a single mom, because he embodied the
talent and intelligence of an active and honest man.
Trung
died at an age that population experts consider a 'golden age' for the
workforce. He died without knowing why he had to, leaving behind his dreams of
becoming a technician, getting married and having many children.
Le Van
Sau, 43, another patient from TháiBìnhProvince, died just 20 days after he was
diagnosed with liver cancer. In a way, Sáu, is luckier than Trung because he
had the chance to have a wife and two children. Sau was the main supporter of
his family, so he still had much work to do had he survived.
The man
was hardworking, experienced, tough but honest, and particularly devoted to his
work as a police officer in Hanoi.
The last
one, Nguyen Huu Tiem, 54, a high-ranking official at the State Bank of Vietnam,
was diagnosed with rectum cancer in June and is now still struggling with the
disease while following strict therapy and lifestyle changes. As the luckiest
patient of cancer, Tiem discovered symptoms at an early stage and adapted well
to drugs.
Nearly
150,000 people are diagnosed with cancer annually in Vietnam, and experts
predict the disease will affect more and more young people. A recent report
from the Ministry of Health stated that 75,000 die from the disease every year,
and Vietnam has one of the highest rates of cancer patients in Asia.
Moreover,
he shows an optimistic determination to fight against the disease, so
everything seems to be going well for him so far.
Tiêm
hoped he would have more time - at least five years to do all he can to
overcome the disease.
The three
men were among nearly 150,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Vietnam every
year, and experts predict the disease will affect more and more young people.
A recent
report from the Ministry of Health stated that 75,000 die from the disease
every year, and the country has one of the highest rates of cancer patients in
Asia.
Many
experts said cancer is caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as alcohol
addiction or avoiding exercise.
But the
three aforementioned patients did not have bad habits, were not addicted to
alcohol and did not smoke. They were all educated and followed a healthy
lifestyle.
So what caused their diseases?
Trung was
a student and had never been addicted to smoking or drinking. The doctor
suspected that the young boy may have been poisoned by some unnatural
preservative substance in instant noodles, which he often ate for his meals. As
a poor student, Trung did not have much financial support, except for his
mother, who could only provide a meager sum for his studies. The student used to
save as much as possible to live in the city. The mother said that sometimes he
had to eat instant noodles the whole week to survive.
Sáu once
contracted Hepatitis C, but was cured 10 years before his death. Through his
daily routine record provided by his wife, doctors found that the man used to
be in favour of salty dishes and, moreover, he was rather careless and
neglected to protect his liver, and contracted hepatitis B as a result.
Doctors
also pointed to some unnatural poisonous chemical substances that had helped
intensify the disease, as all of the three patients had a common habit of
eating out.
Experts
at a conference held by the Ministry of Health in March noted that 80 per cent
of cancer cases in Vietnam were attributed to outside factors, such as air
pollution, unsafe food and toxic work environments with unsafe food.
In
particular, agents from unsafe food took the lead among carcinogenic factors,
accounting for about 35 per cent of cases, while genetic factors account for
only 5-10 per cent, the conference reported.
Experts
also predicted the number of annual cases to rise to 189,000 by 2020.
Recent
statistics from Hospital K in Hanoi, which specialises in cancer treatment,
showed the hospital received more than 1,000 patients for medical checks-up a
day, up from some 700-800 patients five years ago.
A report
by Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi also revealed that more than 73 per cent of
cancer patients in Vietnam die every year, compared to the average rate of 59.7
per cent worldwide, making Vietnam one of the worst countries in the world in
terms of cancer death rates.
Hospital
Deputy Director Mai Trong Khoa was quoted by the online Dtinews as saying that
more young people have become cancer victims, including those in their twenties
and children.
Dr Nguyen
Ba Duc, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Cancer Association, said three factors
affect cancer, including genetics, pollution and diet.
Vietnam
has six big hospitals for tumour treatment and 50 specialised faculties in
hospitals at district levels, yet they are able to meet only 70 per cent of the
demand. Worse yet, two leading hospitals, including K Hospital in Hanoi and TumorHospital
in Ho Chi Minh City, are always overloaded.
The
country is looking forward to expanding and building more satellite hospitals
at district levels, yet they are able to meet only 70 per cent of the demand.
Worse
yet, two leading hospitals, including K Hospital in Hanoi and TumorHospital in
Ho Chi Minh City, are always overloaded. The country is looking forward to
expanding and building more satellite hospitals.
Mai
Khuyen
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