"I contracted a rare congenital disease, but an operation 30 years ago saved my life, allowing me to enjoy a happy life with my husband and two lovely children. My parents always remind me of the days when I was critically ill and urged me to return to Vietnam to find and thank the doctor who gave the second life to me," said Doan Thi Thuy, a 32-year-old overseas Vietnamese living in the Czech Republic.

In December 1993, a healthy baby girl was born in Giao Thuy district, Nam Dinh province amid the joy of the great family. But two months later, bad signs appeared: she refused to eat, her skin became bluish and she cried frequently.

Her parents took her to the district hospital, but the doctors couldn't help. The parents then took her to the provincial hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with congenital biliary atresia but said the disease was incurable.

At that time, the young couple held their frail infant and cried, unwilling to surrender to fate. They vowed to save their child despite the scarce information available about the disease.

Later, Thuy's parents were advised to bring their daughter to Swedish Children’s Hospital (now the National Children's Hospital) in Hanoi to seek a miracle. At that moment, there were two other children suffering from the same disease and they could not survive.

Dr Nguyen Thanh Liem, who was then Director of the National Children's Hospital, had just returned to Vietnam after a period of training in France. He agreed to conduct surgery in an effort to save the baby. However, he warned that the success rate was low, just 50 percent.

Thuy's parents were overjoyed and placed complete faith in the operation. After the surgery, Thuy gradually recovered, marking the beginning of her new life.

Thuy was taken home to be cared for by her family, and Liem wrote a letter, advising them to bring Thuy to Hanoi for check-ups every six months. Her parents adhered to the advice and brought Thuy to hospital until Thuy turned five years old.

30-year wait

"My parents always talk about the doctor who saved my life. It felt like I was born a second time. My parents always keep a deep gratitude towards Doctor Liem," Thuy said.

When she turned 10 years old, Thuy left Vietnam with her parents to settle down in Czechia. However, the entire family always hoped for an opportunity to meet the benefactor who saved their daughter.

Coming back to Vietnam to celebrate Tet this year, Thuy hoped she could find and meet the doctor.

"I always longed to meet Liem. Some people around me said it was unrealistic, because an ordinary person cannot meet such a renowned specialist. But I believed that if I was sincere, I would find him," Thuy recounted.

She found that Professor Liem had retired from the National Children's Hospital, and was working at a private medical facility.

Thuy immediately went to the hospital and registered for medical examination service with the hope of meeting Dr Liem. However, it was another doctor who examined her. She recounted the surgery 30 years ago, expressing her wish to meet her benefactor.

After numerous phone conversations and arrangements, a meeting was organized one afternoon. When Thuy met the surgeon who saved her, she burst into tears, unable to speak.

“My family and I have waited 30 years to have the chance to say thank you. I was one of a few fortunate children who could survive serious illness thanks to the skilled hands and mind of a respected physician," she said.

Liem confirmed that he met two women at his counselling room at hospital and one of them cried, unable to speak.

“I realized that she was a patient who suffered from congenital biliary atresia whom I operated on in 1994. Before this surgery, no patients with biliary atresia in Vietnam had survived," Liem said.

In early 1994, after returning from France, Professor Liem began applying the Kasai technique for congenital biliary atresia, and Thuy was among the first patients receiving this surgical method.

"The tears and brilliant smile on the young mother's face are the greatest gift for me this Tet holiday," the professor said.

Phuong Thuy