A 12-year-old Vietnamese girl is undergoing a series of reconstructive surgeries after a large tumour was removed from her face.
Linh Da Vo developed a tumour in recent years which took over the left side of her face and obscured her mouth. In August, she was admitted to Dandenong Hospital where a team of 26 surgeons removed part of the tumour, which was not cancerous but caused Linh Da great pain. Two days later, surgeons removed the rest of the tumour after she had suffered excessive bleeding in the initial procedure.
After nearly a month of recovering at the Monash Children’s Centre, Linh Da underwent the first of many reconstructive surgeries last Friday. Deer Park resident Kim Thien Truong, who met Linh Da two years ago in a children’s hospital in Vietnam, has raised more than $40,000 to help pay for her and her mother, Hanh Vu, to come to Australia and receive medical treatment.
Linh Da is the fourth child Ms Truong has helped in recent years. “She’s such a brave girl; we’re all very proud of her,” Ms Truong said.
Rotary’s Overseas Medical Aid for Children program also helped bring Linh Da and her mother to Australia, and it has funded a series of procedures for Linh Da at Monash Medical Centre. She also needs dental work, which is being paid for by Brimbank Central Rotary.
To donate, call 0423 369 236 or go to www.kimsfoundationofhopeinc.jimdo.com
