A Miracle Called Colleagues

Just one night after a call for blood donation was shared, more than 400 FSOFT members showed up, filling the hospital grounds to donate hundreds of blood units. Their timely support wasn’t only for little Lê Hải Anh, but also for many other children undergoing treatment at Hanoi Children’s Hospital.

Lê Hải Anh, the 8-year-old daughter of Nguyễn Thị Hồng Liên Minh (iDO.iDX), was unfortunately diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a type of lymphatic cancer, at the end of 2023. This is considered one of the fastest-growing human tumors, severely damaging the immune system and requiring extended chemotherapy treatment. On the difficult journey of fighting the illness, both Minh and her daughter have been surrounded with love from family and support from the FSOFT community.

A Mother’s Relentless Effort

Before discovering her daughter’s illness, Minh had already been going through a mentally challenging time. At first, when noticing a swollen lymph node on her daughter’s neck, she took her to Hanoi Children’s Hospital for tests. The initial results came back negative, so she felt reassured. However, after two months, the swelling didn’t subside and kept growing. That’s when she started to worry and sensed that something wasn’t right.

Upon returning to the hospital and receiving the final diagnosis, Minh was devastated. The first days after the diagnosis were filled with anxiety, fear, and confusion. Gradually, she calmed herself, started researching the disease, and learned how to adapt to the challenges ahead. Despite the turmoil in her heart, she did her best to stay mentally strong, to be a pillar for her daughter, accepting reality and becoming actively involved in every step of the journey.

Hải Anh’s treatment at the Hanoi Children’s Hospital lasted 10 months, starting from January 2024 when she was diagnosed with stage 3/4 Burkitt’s lymphoma. The cancer had already spread to her kidneys, internal organs, and bone marrow, requiring the most aggressive chemotherapy protocol. Each cycle lasted about 28 days, involving chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and close monitoring of side effects.

Throughout this arduous process, Minh and her daughter became each other’s greatest source of strength. Minh stayed with her daughter full-time, taking care of every meal, every sleepless night, every fever, and every dose of medicine. Although overwhelmed with fear and emotional pressure, she held herself together, hiding her tears and only crying quietly at night so her daughter wouldn’t see.

Hải Anh, in contrast, showed remarkable resilience and courage. She did her best to endure the pain and actively cooperated with the treatment. She often listened to her mother’s stories, folded origami, and made crafts to stay optimistic. The two encouraged each other through the smallest victories – eating a few bites during nausea or smiling after a long night of fever. That emotional connection gave them both the strength to get through the toughest days.

An Outpouring of Support from Colleagues

It wasn’t until the most critical moment – January 30, 2024 – when the hospital announced that its blood supply was nearly exhausted, that Minh finally reached out to the FSOFT community for help. The news about little Lê Hải Anh quickly spread across the company’s online platforms. By the very next morning, a miracle had arrived – not only for Hải Anh, but for all the young patients at the hospital.

In the chilly late-January rain, more than 400 FSOFT employees silently came to the hospital, bringing with them compassion, encouragement, and humanity. FSOFT members made up two-thirds of the blood donors that day. Some organized and coordinated the process right at the hospital. That moment still brings tears to Minh’s eyes every time she recalls it. The support gave her and her daughter renewed hope and strength to continue a journey that once seemed impossible.

“I never imagined that just one message would bring hundreds of people to help. Some even wrote ‘this blood is for baby Hải Anh.’ At that moment, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I’m so deeply grateful to the FSOFT family,” Minh shared emotionally.

Throughout her daughter’s treatment, Minh received countless messages of encouragement from friends and FSOFT colleagues across the country. Even people she had never met, who only learned of her story through posts, reached out to express their concern. Her unfinished work and projects at the company were taken care of entirely by colleagues so that she could focus fully on her daughter’s recovery. FSOFT’s labor union and the “FPT for the Community” Fund visited and supported Hải Anh with 100 million VND to help her family through this difficult time. Additionally, the Truong Ton Fund provided 30 million VND, and the FSOFT Union Fund contributed another 10 million VND.

Thanks to their perseverance, Hải Anh’s condition has significantly improved: kidney damage has decreased, and the cancerous cells in her bone marrow have greatly reduced. In October 2024, Hải Anh completed her treatment and moved into the monitoring phase. Today, she has returned to school, joined extracurricular activities, and continued her passion for painting and music.

Looking back on the journey, what Minh cherishes most is not just the timely help, but the deeply humane spirit of sharing from the FPT family. She felt the heartfelt care from the company’s leadership, union, and colleagues – those who quietly stood by her side, constantly checking in, and offering both material and emotional support. To her, the most precious gift was being embraced by a team where solidarity isn’t just a word but something real – demonstrated through loving, tangible actions.