She has carried multiple tumors on her body for half a century, with the two biggest growths hanging on her face and back. “I am too old to be treated, so it is likely that I will live with these lumps till my last breath,” she sighs.

53-year-old Nguyen Thi Hien, hailing from the southern province of Tien Giang, is weaving hats for a mere VND5000-7000 (US$0.24-0.34) a day. She is suffering from lung cancer and 'neurofibromatosis,' a disease which causes disfiguring tumors to form on nerves throughout the body., Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Thi Hien, a 53-year-old woman hailing from the southern province of Tien Giang, now lives with little hope because she is too poor to pay for any treatment to remove the tumors, which have formed densely all over her body.

The lump on her face has developed into the size of a fist, while the other on her back currently weighs no less than 10 kilograms.

Life has grown even harder for her since she was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago.

She now lives on the meager daily wage of VND5,000-7,000 (US$0.24-0.34) she earns from weaving hats, in addition to the VND180,000 monthly allowance granted by local authorities.

Many good neighbors have added some warmth to her life with their food, home appliances, and a few clothes.

Nguyen Phuc Quang, party secretary of Tan Ly Dong Commune, where Hien is living now, says the local authorities are trying to build a house for her so that she can have a stable remainder of her life.

Dr Dang Huy Quoc Thinh, vice director of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, says Hien may be suffering from 'neurofibromatosis' which causes disfiguring tumors to form on nerves throughout the body, a disease that afflicted Nguyen Duy Hai – a Da Lat City man whose 90 kg tumor was recently removed from his body.

Hien is technically waiting for death at the moment.

Source: Tuoi Tre