Saving the life of the premature baby girl born on the roadside

On a midsummer morning in May 2023, the premature baby, Phang Thi Sun, let out her feeble cries on the roadside. Her young H’Mong ethnic minority mother, only 8 months pregnant, had suddenly gone into labor amidst the long ride to the Sin Ho District Medical Center in Lai Chau Province for a health examination. Completely unprepared for the emergency roadside delivery with no professional help, she resorted to using shoelaces to tie off the umbilical cord before carrying her newborn over 30 kilometers to the medical center, hoping against all odds to save the little one’s life.

Handing Sun off to the doctors, the exhausted young mother collapsed and could only pray for her daughter’s safety. After emergency intervention and eight long days of intensive care in the incubator, baby Sun’s health began to improve. However, just when it seemed like the worst was over, she showed signs of jaundice, a condition that is both lethal and common in premature infants. Her life was on the line once again. Luckily, with the help of bili lights, Sun pulled through once again. She was finally discharged from the hospital, able to go home with her parents and start a healthy life. Her miraculous recovery was made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of the doctors and the essential neonatal equipment available at Sin Ho District Medical Center, sponsored by VinaCapital Foundation’s (VCF) Survive to Thrive program with funds from The Republic of Bulgaria in June 2022.

Phang Thi Sun is only one among many children born prematurely or suffered from newborn complications in rural communities that have been saved by the joint effort of VCF’s Survive to Thrive program and our donors. You too, can join in our mission to provide marginalized children with a second chance at life HERE.