One year later, Chau became a student at Hanoi Foreign Trade University, appearing with a happy smile. 

"At the age of 19, I have something to boast about: I have defeated a brain tumor," she said.

In April 2021, when she was an English majoring student of Hoang Van Thu High School for the Gifted in Hoa Binh, her body started showing strange symptoms.

She constantly felt thirsty, consumed 5-7 liters of water daily and suffered from constant insomnia. She could sleep only two hours each night during three consecutive days. Chau came to hospital for medical examination, and doctors did not discover anything serious.

In 2023, Chau felt her limbs weakening. One night, after waking up for water, she fell to the ground and couldn't get back up. She was rushed to the provincial hospital, then transferred to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.

On that ambulance ride, she noticed her mother's and aunt's eyes filled with tears. Her father kept massaging her legs, occasionally wiping away tears. But it wasn't until she received her medical report that she learned of her condition.

"I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, a rare malignant disease," Chau explains.

Chau was bedridden the following days. Her sick room was opposite the National Economics University. Every day, when she gazed out the window, she thought she had to give up studying and felt a deep sadness.

One day, Chau received a precious gift from her literature teacher - a website with messages from all her classmates. The words of love, encouragement and support gave her strength.

"I decided not to give up. My teachers and friends loved me this much. And I am the only child of my parents, so how could they live without me? That thought made me decide to fight the illness," she recalled.

In May 2023, Chau underwent thyroid surgery. Though the surgery succeeded, healing proved difficult, requiring further hospital visits. Two days before her graduation exam, she requested doctors stitch her wounds to attend the exam.

On the exam day, she held onto her bandages with one hand while writing with the other, managing to face the challenge. With her good high-school transcripts and an IELTS score of 7.5, Chau was admitted to the Business Administration Faculty of Hanoi Foreign Trade University.

Life is beautiful

The time when the academic year began was when she had to undergo the first chemotherapy session. Every Friday, she went to K Hospital to receive chemotherapy.

During four months, Chau underwent 12 chemotherapy sessions in two phases. She felt incredibly painful, feeling as if her body was burning.

"When pains came, I'd think of my parents and everyone who loved me. I'd also think of myself. I studied hard to obtain a seat at university and it would be a big waste if I drop out. The thoughts then gave me strength to continue fighting," Chau said.

After the second consultation, Chau was informed by doctors "The tumor is gone." Leaving the consultation room, she shared the news with another patient, "Sir, my tumor is gone."

And then she made a call to inform family members. He parents were shocked, while her grandmother was speechless with emotion. On the taxi ride back to her dorm, she shared the news with the driver, who then gave her a free ride.

"Doctors said the tumor could return anytime and told me to take medicine regularly. I'm still on maintenance chemotherapy, once every three weeks, and for one year,” she said. “Nonetheless, I'm so happy that the tumor no longer exists."

Once prone to negative thoughts and easily upset, Chau became more optimistic and respects every living moment.

“Life is always beautiful,” she said.

Thanh Minh