“Mom, I understand my illness now, and I’m trying to get better. Please don’t cry anymore.”

These are the words Phong, a 10-year-old boy receiving treatment for leukemia, says to his mother whenever he sees her crying.

In July 2026, just after finishing fourth grade and preparing to enter fifth grade, persistent leg pain brought Phong to the hospital. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and began a chemotherapy plan expected to involve five treatment courses over 32 months.

At just 10 years old, Phong is facing his illness and the difficult days of treatment with courage. But before he could calmly comfort his mother as he does today, he was frightened too.

“When I first found out, I was so shocked. I couldn’t stop crying.”

To help manage his fear, Phong went online to learn about his illness and familiarized himself with each stage of treatment. Understanding what lay ahead helped him mentally prepare for each course.

There have been days when he could neither eat nor drink for four days in a row, and an emergency when a brain hemorrhage caused seizures. He knows that blood draws and bone marrow procedures will hurt. Yet Phong continues to cooperate with his doctors and work through each course of chemotherapy with his parents by his side.

His mother is deeply moved by his maturity, especially when he turns to comfort her. But alongside her concern for his health, one question weighs heavily on her: How can the family afford to keep his treatment going?

Phong is now undergoing his second course of chemotherapy. According to his mother, the first course alone cost more than VND 180 million. Health insurance and charitable funds covered part of the cost, but the family’s share remained substantial, with additional medication costs arising as his condition changed.

Before Phong became ill, both parents worked as kitchen assistants, earning a combined VND 7-8 million a month. Since his hospitalization, his mother has stopped working to care for him, leaving the family dependent on his father’s income. His seven-year-old brother, who needs specialized care and education, has also had to pause his schooling because the family can no longer afford it.

Community support can help ease this financial burden, giving Phong and his family the support they need to continue each course and work toward completing his treatment.

Phong is one of the children receiving treatment funding through KARE, a program of Vietnam Children’s Fund Social Enterprise. This September, through KARE’s “One Breakfast’s Worth” campaign, you can contribute from VND 30,000, the cost of an everyday breakfast, to help fund treatment for children with cancer from disadvantaged families like Phong’s.

Give a breakfast’s worth to help children continue their next course of treatment: https://vietnamchildrensfund.com/en/campaign/one-breakfasts-worth-feed-the-fight-fund-the-treatment/