SEATED BY her grandmother outside their thatched-roof home, she gazed at them. Beneath the watchful eyes of the distant mountains and the conical hats of palm leaves and bamboo, older children worked in the rice paddies while younger children played nearby, their laughter breaking through the humidity they wore like a second skin. But something weighed heavier than the oppressive air — her family’s hovering, making sure she didn’t push herself, work or play too hard.
Congenital heart disease — she heard the words all of her young life. She had yet to grasp its meaning fully, but she sensed fear and sadness in how tightly they held her hand and stayed close by. She sensed it when the doctors at the children’s hospital in Da Nang talked in hushed whispers with her parents in words she couldn’t understand. Her hardworking parents were unable to pay for surgeries; that much she knew. Was she dying? she wondered. One thing was certain. When she crossed the invisible line, she found it hard to breathe, the telltale color of her lips betraying every effort to disguise her panic. There was a hole in her heart.
She felt alone as she watched others doing what she could not, but there are countless others like her. Roughly 2% of the children in Vietnam are born with congenital heart disease (CHD), according to the National Library of Medicine.Comparatively, about 1% of the live births in the United States are children with CHD.
Many factors contribute to Vietnamese children’s access to life-saving medical care.
Dr. Chad Hoyt, former Lynchburg resident and co-founder of Healing Hearts Vietnam (HHV), said, “Part of it is poor nutrition, access to care, education about health, and literacy. And then also, exposure during the Vietnam War to a lot of Agent Orange and other things [contributes to] some real significant congenital abnormalities.”
Despite their hard work, many families cannot pay for surgeries that will save their child’s life. They may qualify for HHV assistance.
“We have means testing that they go through. Our hospital partners do that and identify patients whose family income is below a certain level where the government will pay for a certain portion of their surgery. So, number one, they need to meet that means testing. Number two, we work with the hospitals to leverage additional in-country funds. Then we come in on the back side and provide the last portion of what it will cost for that surgery, around $1,100 to $1,200 per surgery. In the end, I think we’re paying patients’ out-of-pocket portion. I would say the total cost of a heart surgery is about 1% of what it would cost here,” explained Dr. Tom Forsberg, a Lynchburg resident who founded HHV with Hoyt.
But surgeries are only a part of HHV’s services. The U.S. 501(c)3 medical humanitarian ministry also provides training, screenings, and medical equipment to the region to diagnose and treat CHD. The work extends beyond medical intervention, fostering holistic transformation in the lives of patients, their families, and their communities. By partnering with local medical professionals and leveraging charitable funds, the organization ensures high-quality care while addressing the broader emotional and spiritual well-being of those they serve. Their efforts have improved physical health and brought hope and renewal to entire communities, creating a ripple effect of positive change.
“These surgeries don’t just help the child — they help a whole generation of a family in a town, and we’ve seen entire towns and communities be profoundly affected by this,” observed Hoyt. “You’re not just helping one child; you’re helping a whole community.”
Surgeries partially funded by HHV have saved more than 600 lives to date. But donations to the organization buy more than healing — they offer the priceless gift of hope. A sense of optimism that didn’t exist before replaces despair.
“When you see these people in the clinics, their heads are downcast. Their eyes are looking down. They don’t think there’s any light at the end of the tunnel. Then [after the surgery], the hope you see when you go to these families’ homes is amazing. These kids who have had surgery three months later have a spring in their step. Their eyes are vibrant. They know that there’s hope, and they see that,” said Forsberg of his firsthand experiences.
Hoyt agreed. “I don’t think any of them ever really experienced that kind of hope before. And I think it’s even more powerful when it’s both physical and spiritual. And that’s why I think the ministry is so effective — you’re showing them the love of Christ.”
The little girl who sat by her grandmother’s side watching others work and play received surgery to close the hole in her heart. And while one part of her heart closed, another part opened to a bright future and new experiences that would be impossible without HHV and its donors.
Forsberg recalled, “When we went and visited her, I asked her how she was dealing with exercise and how she was feeling. I asked her if she was running, and she said, ‘What do you mean run?’ She’d never run before. So I said, ‘You know what? Today, we’re going to run.’ So I ran with her for the first time, and that was such a poignant reminder that this [work] has a huge impact. Things we all take for granted, like running around when you’re a little kid, she was now able to do.”
The heart of a child beats with boundless potential, regardless of where it’s born. In Vietnam’s rural villages, Lynchburg, Virginia, or America’s bustling cities, each heartbeat carries dreams, laughter, and the promise of a future. Your donations to HHV give these young hearts a chance to beat stronger, run faster, and embrace life fully. Ultimately, it’s not just about fixing hearts — it’s about nurturing the human spirit, one child at a time, and watching as that spirit blossoms into a force that can transform the world. GN
