Vietnamese mom who delayed cancer treatment while pregnant dies

A file photo of Dau Thi Huyen Tram at the K Hospital in Hanoi. Photo: Minh Chien

A 25-year-old mother who had delayed cancer treatment to save her pregnancy died at home in Ha Tinh Province on Wednesday, less than three weeks after giving birth to a boy. 

Dau Thi Huyen Tram, a lieutenant of Ha Tinh Police Department, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer when she was 19 weeks pregnant.

Doctors at the K Hospital in Hanoi recommended an abortion to start treatment, but Tram decided to delay chemotherapy to keep the baby. 

She gave birth to a boy weighing 1.2 kilograms in week 29 earlier this month at the National Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology. The baby is in special care and doctors say his conditions have improved.

Le Thi Lan, Tram’s mother, said she had mostly stayed in bed due to breathing difficulty.

“Tram always thought for others. She always hid her pain, trying not to make us worry about her,” she said.