55-year-old Nguyen Thi Tra Lien, a female resident of Da Nang’s Hai Chau District is always willing to lend a helping hand when anyone needs help.

Mrs Lien preparing free meals for patients with chronic kidney disease

Mrs Lien offers monthly free meals to thousands of chronic kidney disease patients from outside Da Nang, who are living in a rental property on Hai Phong Street. They are poor patients and are receiving dialysis in the Da Nang General Hospital.

By witnessing the entire process of food preparing and cooking, we can feel Mrs Lien’s dedication and thoughtfulness toward patients with chronic kidney disease. Food safety and quality are always ensured, whilst meal menus are changed daily to meet the nutritional needs of the patients.

Mrs Lien said that cooking free meals for the patients cost about more than 6 million VND on an average every month.

In addition to cash donations from generous philanthropists across Da Nang, the kind-hearted woman extracts profits from her own vegetarian eatery to cover the cooking costs for dialysis patients.  

Among these patients is 28-year-old Pham Thi Ai Van hailing from Quang Nam Province. Ms Van has suffered from chronic renal failure over the past 9 years, and she is required to receive haemodialysis in the Da Nang General Hospital thrice a week to sustain life.

“I am very grateful to Mrs Lien for providing food support for me and other poor patients in a bid to help us save money on food” said Ms Van.  

Besides, Mrs Vo Thi Hoa, 57, residing in Quang Nam Province’s Que Son District, often receives free rice, cakes and milk from Mrs Lien.

Mrs Hoa added she was deeply moved by the kindness of Mrs Lien to help them leverage their strengths to fight against their diseases although they are not blood-relations.

Free meals help poor patients save small amounts of money on food

In addition to offering free meals to patients on dialysis, Mrs Lien has been active in helping residents in remote mountainous areas throughout the country.

Noticeably, after Da Nang braced for a second wave of Covid-19 infections in late July, Mrs Lien and other members of the Hieu Hanh Charity Club provided over 1,000 portions of free meals daily for medical workers in Da Nang-based hospitals.

In recent days, Mrs Lien and her charity group members have asked the public across Viet Nam to donate food, medical and essential goods for residents in heavily-flooded provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri.

“I'm not afraid of working hard at anything, whatever it is. I just wish that I would have a good health to continue helping the disadvantaged in the coming time. I help them without any reason and give without expecting anything in return, except for their happy smile” Mrs Lien said.

By LAM PHUONG - Translated by M.D