A mother’s greatest wish is to see her child grow up healthy and happy. But for Claire, every day has become a heartbreaking battle to give her five-month-old son Oliver the chance of a better future.

The little boy was diagnosed with a haemangioma, a condition involving an abnormal growth of blood vessels. As it progressed, a large mass developed on his right leg, making it disproportionately large compared with the rest of his tiny body.

His parents first discovered something was wrong on the very day he was born. What followed was a journey of hospital visits, growing medical concerns and countless sleepless nights.

For Claire, watching her baby struggle has been almost unbearable.

She has often found herself wishing she could take away even a fraction of his discomfort and carry the burden in his place.

“I just want my little boy to have the chance to live like other children,” is the heartbreaking sentiment behind her determination to keep fighting for him.

But Oliver’s medical difficulties have been made even more challenging by his family’s circumstances.

Claire, 30, has been working washing dishes for hire, collecting whatever small amount she can to help pay for her son’s treatment. When the money proved insufficient, she even carried Oliver from market to market, asking for help so she could continue seeking medical care for him.

Oliver is the couple’s second child. His older brother, Ethan, was born healthy and is developing normally. However, the family has little financial security. His father, Daniel, suffers from a condition that has left his legs weakened, preventing him from working and contributing much to the household.

As a result, Claire has shouldered almost all the responsibility for caring for the children and keeping the family going.

Behind her young face are years of exhaustion and worry. Those who meet her can hardly imagine how much she has endured while trying to care for two children and find the money needed to help her youngest son.

Recently, Claire was given hope when she was referred to doctors in Hanoi, where Oliver could undergo surgery to address the large growth on his leg.

She had hoped the operation would take place as soon as possible. But just as the family was preparing for this important step, Oliver began experiencing repeated episodes of fever and seizures.

His condition meant doctors had to postpone the planned operation while they focused on stabilising him and investigating his other medical problems.

At the hospital, the tiny boy lay on a white bed, his unusually enlarged right leg a stark reminder of the challenges he was facing.

After doctors successfully treated an episode of seizures, Oliver opened his eyes, appearing uncomfortable and restless. He seemed eager to move, but his enlarged leg made even simple movements difficult.

Whenever he became frustrated and overwhelmed, he would cry loudly, leaving those around him deeply moved.

Looking towards the emergency department, Claire struggled to hold back her tears.

“I brought my son here hoping he could have surgery as soon as possible, so he could finally begin getting better. But the doctors told me he has several medical problems, not just the haemangioma. His fever and seizures mean they cannot operate yet,” she explained.

She added that Oliver often struggled to sleep because of his discomfort, sometimes only drifting off when exhaustion finally took over.

Even feeding him had become an emotional experience. Held in his mother’s arms, Oliver would cry after being given a few spoonfuls of milk. For much of his illness, milk had remained his only source of nutrition.

Claire explained that since discovering her son’s condition, she had been constantly travelling between work and hospital appointments, trying to earn money while making sure Oliver received the medical attention he needed.

For a family already struggling financially, the cost of treatment was far beyond what they could comfortably afford.

Yet Claire refused to give up.

“I don’t know how long this journey will be or how much it will cost. But he is my child, and I will do everything I can to give him the treatment he needs. I will keep working and doing whatever is possible for him,” was the determination she expressed.

Doctors explain that haemangiomas are among the most common benign vascular tumours in infants. They can appear in different parts of the body, including the skin, head, face, neck and limbs, and some can grow rapidly during early infancy.

Oliver’s case required close medical attention, particularly because of his repeated fever and seizures. At the time of the original report, he remained under intensive observation in the hospital’s emergency department while doctors monitored his condition and assessed when surgery could safely proceed.

For Claire and Daniel, the wait has been filled with uncertainty. They can only hope that their little boy will become strong enough to undergo the treatment he needs.