THANH BACH’S STORY
Lunar New Year 2020
Dear Friend,
I want to take the opportunity of this New Year to share with you a wonderful story of Thanh Bach’s recovery.
I first met Thanh Bach in August 2012 when she was about 9 months old during a site visit of Bridging Hope’s elder program in Phan Thiet. She bore a distinguishable lump on her left cheek. Within a short time, the lump had grown immensely from the size of a cop ball to that of a baseball. With an inadequate income and no source of healthcare support, I knew that if the child’s condition would be left untreated she could be put in serious danger. With the help of volunteers and friends, we were able to coordinate a trip for her to see Dr. Williams in Hanoi for a medical examination. Since the tumor was too early for surgery, Dr. Williams recommended to simply wait and to continue her treatments at the Children Hospital in Saigon.
In the spring of 2018, I revisited Thanh Bach. She was now almost 7 years old. When asked about the surgical plan, her mother said that the hospital kept encouraging them to wait. I couldn’t help but wonder whether they were making her wait longer than necessary due to their poverty and inability to pay. At this point the child appeared to be suffering both physically and mentally from the tumor. In addition to physical pain and discomfort, Thanh Bach had quit school because of being tormentedby her peers.
I shared with Fr. Toai, director of MaiTam Program for HIV patients in Saigon, Thanh Bach’s condition. With the help of his staff, we were able to arrange for Thanh Bach to receive surgical treatment at one hospital in Saigon. Miraculously, the surgery was very successful and completed in June 2018.
Thankfully, the work on Thanh Bach’s involved many hearts and hands. All of these efforts came together to form a miracle that brought together people two worlds apart in an effort to change one young girl’s life forever.
Thanh Bach’s story is clearly an example of the power of people working together for a worthy cause. Yes, it takes a village or maybe it takes a world coming together to raise a child!
May your heart be overflowing with New Year blessings! May the New Year bless us with wholeness and peace!
Executive Director
Gratefully,
Sen Nguyen, OSF
CHRISTMAS FOR BREAKFAST
Christmas for Breakfast originated with a group of families who decided to make Christmas gift giving more meaningful to their children.
Instead of extravagant Christmas celebrations and gift exchanges, the families used the money they would have spent on Christmas presents to provide breakfast to children in an elementary school in the rural province of An Giang. The small sacrifices these families made in turn made a big difference in the lives of those children, whose family often can only afford to give them one meal a day.
Since 2007, Christmas for Breakfast have garnered the support of more and more friends and families. Each year at the beginning of November, we gather at our annual benefit luncheon to enjoy the wine, food, and music in great company. Through participating in the silent auctions, live auctions, Angel of Hope donation, and purchasing of unique THREADS items, our guests contribute to the funds needed to provide meals to over 300 disadvantaged children for the following year.
NEWS & EVENTS
Artistic expressions can blossom from a small bud into an impressive colorful orchid, or come to those as simply as the daily sunrise, yet each sunrise is a work of art. Such is the case with Sen Nguyen, artist and founder of Bridging Hope Gallery located on Tennyson Street. “I remember the expression one of […]
Dear Friends, Out of courtesy of Kat and Denise, Bridging Hope is going to have a display of Sen’s art at Kat’s store and merchandize at Denise’s Always Clean Shop first Friday, Feb. 6. Stay tuned for more information.
Christmas for Breakfast to benefit MAI AM MAI TAM Shelter for children with AIDS/HIV. Saturday, November 9th, 2014
Bridging Hope’s 7th Annual Art and Vietnamese Cultural Fundraiser. Saturday, October 4, 2014 at St. Joan of Arc Church.
Denver-based Bridging Hope, a Franciscan-founded nonprofit helping needy women and children in Viet Nam, is honoring Anh “Joseph” Cao as its “Ambassador of Hope” at its 5th Annual Art and Vietnamese Cultural Fundraiser Event Oct. 6. Cao, the only Vietnamese-American elected to the U.S. Congress (2009-11), fled Saigon in 1975 at age 8 along with […]
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