Emotional tears are triggered by strong feelings such as joy and sadness. Poor patients in Da Nang cried happy tears on receiving kindness and compassion from others.

Female patients happily received birthday gifts from donors at the Da Nang General Hospital. Photo: X.S

In the morning of early March, the Meeting Hall A of the Da Nang General Hospital was busier than usual as it hosted a music program themed "The Melody of Love" for 200 female patients undergoing inpatient treatment and their family caregivers to celebrate the International Women's Day (March 8).

A female patient who is under treatment at the Hospital’s Cardiovascular Surgery Department was among 10 female birthday gift recipients at this event. She said this is the first time in her life she has celebrated her birthday.

She suffers from mitral valve stenosis, and is eventually diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and urinary tract infections. She and her husband have three young children while the daily expenses of her family depend on income earned from her and her husband’s jobs as a worker and a hardworking construction field assistant, respectively.

A 28 year- old female patient was another birthday gift recipient. She contracted acute leukemia which is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. Her family is living in poverty, and she has three young children close in age. Her husband's income from his job as a worker is not enough to cover her medical treatment costs at the hospital’s Department of Neurology, Musculoskeletal Diseases, and Clinical Hematology. Therefore, celebrating birthday with flower and cake, or watching a music show seems a distant dream for poor women like her.

The "Melody of Love" music program which was co- organized by the Hospital’s Department of Social Work along with relevant units and sponsors was considered to be a meaningful gift to spread the love and kindness towards poor female patients on their special day.

During this program, female patients also got access to free face, neck, shoulder, and nape massage services while receiving greeting cards and flowers. Furthermore, they also enjoyed a free lunch buffet with cakes, milk, fruit and food. Especially, those who have March birthday were given a chance to celebrate their birthday with cake.

In addition, the participants also joined a quiz competition where they tested their knowledge and earned rewards for their efforts while enjoying special music performances by members of the Da Nang Artists Association. The bustling atmosphere of the music program helped ease the pain and body aches for poor female patients.

A 70 year- old female patient, a resident of Quang Nam Province happily said that this is the first time she has enjoyed a buffet and massage. She also said that she never lack joy in her heart as she always receives encouragement and compassion from kind-hearted persons, including the hospital’s staff even though she is being treated far from home. She also remarked that she has attended such an event to celebrate the International Women's Day ( March 8) for the first time in her life.

Female patients undergoing inpatient treatment at this hospital are collectively called as "March flowers", which were also the theme of this year's music program. Contributors to soothing the pain in “these flowers’ and watering them were the sponsors and benevolent units across the city, most of whom are women. On their special day, they chose to do a meaningful action to give back to the community and help others.

For participating artists, even though they have participated in charity programs many times, they were so emotional when performing in such an event. They just hoped that their performances would be a “spiritual medicine’ for poor female patients to help them fight fatigue and put more energy into their daily life to fight disease, and have a better life.

With her singing performance with the "I owe my mother" song, singer Hong Minh said: " I am so emotional when singing this song as I see female patients, including older women fighting illness. Hopefully, they will not have to stay in the hospital for treatment in the future."

Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, the head of the massage group for female patients during the program, said that she clearly felt the joy of the female patients who has got a relaxing massage for the first time in their life.

In recent times, the Da Nang-based Compassion Club has been active in providing free lunch with hot and delicious meals for poor patients at the Da Nang General Hospital, the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, and those living at the Municipal Centre for Social Protection and other facilities across the city. Moreover, the club also hosts monthly music program "Singing of Love" to entertain cancer patients in the city.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hoa, a member of the club, what they do is to bring love, care and sharing to poor patients, especially female patients.

The more you give, the more you receive. When we truly give, we find that what we lose is superficial compared to what we receive back.

Reporting by XUAN SON – Translating by H.L