On September 8, Thai Huyen Trang (born in 2006, Van Hien commune, Nghe An) eagerly enrolled in the talented class of the mathematics education program at Vinh University, taking another step toward her dream of becoming an excellent math teacher. 

In 2019, at the age of 13, while preparing for the national math competition, the 8th-grade student often felt fatigued, unable to walk long distances, and had pale skin and lips.

Trang said her condition lasted for a month, followed by frequent fevers at night. Her mother took her to a hospital in Hanoi where she received five units of blood, then brought her back home so she could take the math competition, where she secured the second-highest score.

A month later, during a follow-up at a local hospital, doctors referred her to a hematology center in Nghe An. A bone marrow test raised concerns, prompting her transfer to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Hanoi.

“The world collapsed when I received the diagnosis that my child had leukemia,” said Truong Thi Hoa, Trang’s mother. Trang is the couple's only daughter, born after years of fertility treatments.

Trang’s resilience helped her endure 12 rounds of chemotherapy with numerous side effects. Her mother was determined to ensure her daughter received a stem cell transplant at all costs.

As the only child in the family, she didn’t have a sibling donor with a fully matched HLA profile. Doctors at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion advised the family to consider a stem cell transplant using donated umbilical cord blood stored at the institute’s stem cell bank.

“This method is more complex than fully matched sibling transplants,” said Dr Vo Thi Thanh Binh, head of the stem cell transplant department at the institute.

Trang endured two long and challenging months in the transplant unit. Despite undergoing high-dose chemotherapy to destroy as many cancer cells as possible, which left her physically drained, she remained strong. For the following year, Trang had to stay home to recover and monitor her health.

Her treatment forced her to miss nearly two years of school. However, driven by her love of learning, she studied the grade 8 curriculum on her own and only fell one year behind her peers.

Returning to school for grade 9 after nearly two years, Trang successfully gained admission to the gifted class at a nearby high school. In her final years, she was an outstanding student. Her determination inspired many, and in 12th grade, she was admitted into the Communist Party. In the 2025 high school graduation exam, Trang scored 26 points.

Learning makes hospital days less boring

Binh, who accompanied Trang throughout her treatment, shared that despite facing cancer at just 13 years old, Trang showed immense courage. She didn’t see the illness as the end but the beginning of a new journey.

After the stem cell transplant, due to her weak immune system, Trang couldn't return to school for a long time. She made those potentially dull days meaningful by learning how to crochet and knit various yarn products online.

Like many chemotherapy patients, Trang had to deal with hair loss and became familiar with a bald head. She hoped that her handmade yarn hats would not only keep other patients warm but also help them overcome feelings of shame and avoid curious stares.

Each time she returned to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion for checkups, Trang brought gifts for children undergoing treatment. In her free time while waiting for her graduation exam results, she continued crocheting, making hundreds of hair ties, keychains, and pins shaped like the national flag. She then donated these items to the Network for Children with Cancer.

Vo Thu