Baby dumped in plastic bag finds new life at Singapore hospital
“All I could think of was finding a way to save her life, no matter the cost.”
A newborn baby dumped in plastic bag and left for dead, has found new life at Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
Miracles never cease.
Baby dumped in plastic bag is now recovering at Singapore hospital
Little Trieu Hoai An from Vietnam was first discovered in a plastic bag hanging from a tree in a coffee plantation. A farmer had heard her crying.
On 29 March 2019, he took the newborn to Da Lat City hospital in Vietnam’s Lam Dong province, where she was estimated to be 4-5 days old.
Her condition was bad. Her tiny body was sunburnt, and covered with insect bites. Maggots were found in her eyes and nose. She had a pus-filled open wound on her swollen head.
Doctors gave her less than a year to live.
The orphaned child was adopted by the abbess Venerable Minh Tai, of the Hue Quang temple near Da Lat and was named Hoai An. It means ‘forever peace’ in Vietnamese.
She raised funds and brought little Hoai An to Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Orchard Road for further treatment.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB CNA VIDEO
A little baby’s fight against the odds
When Hoai An was brought to Singapore, she had high fever.
The tissue in her head wound had also become necrotic (Necrosis is the death of cells or tissues from severe injury or disease, especially in a localised area of the body).
She was admitted on April 10, 2019. Her head was also swollen due to hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus is a brain condition that happens when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can’t drain from the brain. It then pools, causing a buildup of fluid in the skull.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB CNA VIDEO
Before attempting to drain the excess fluid, doctors had to treat the existing wounds.
The odds were against her, but this little fighter managed to surprise even the experts.
So far, baby Hoai An is recovering well, and her wounds are healing fast.
“She is sleeping better, crying louder and has more of an appetite. She has also gained about 700g in weight and her reactions are improved,” Venerable Minh Tai told The Straits Times.
But her condition needs to be monitored continuously.
Doctors are yet to determine if she has hydrocephalus or the more severe condition called hydraencephaly. Babies with hydraencephaly don’t usually survive beyond a year.
More fluid will need to be drained before a proper diagnosis can be made on Hoai An’s condition.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB CNA VIDEO
For now, Venerable Minh Tai and her disciple Thien Ngo, are celebrating this little baby’s remarkable fight for survival. They hope that her illness can get cured soon and she can be taken back to Vietnam.
“When I first saw her, my heart ached when I imagined the pain and suffering she endured, and tears started flowing from my eyes. I could not believe that a parent would do this to their own child,” Venerable Minh Tai told Channel NewsAsia.
“All I could think of was finding a way to save her life, no matter the cost.”
Here’s praying that this little baby recovers soon.
Also READ: Singapore couple suspected to have dumped baby in bin
(Source: The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia)