Thanks to O'Connor Hospital employees, clinicians and community members, a Vietnamese village woman with a potentially life-threatening condition recently received surgery to remove a tumor on her head and lower her susceptibility to infection.
Hoa Tran, 20 traveled to San Jose, Calif., about six months ago for treatment of Blue Nevi Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that can cause tumors and lesions all over the body. Tran wore a scarf daily to cover abnormalities on the back of her head.
Sr. Linh Dao, OP, a nurse, met Tran and took note of her rare condition last year when she was working as part of a medical mission in Kim Long, Tran's home village. When she returned to her job at O'Connor Hospital, Sr. Dao told colleagues about Tran's need for corrective surgery.
The hospital community mobilized quickly to raise funds for Tran's care, organizing transportation and housing for her and her father. Hospital administration and staff donated surgical time and services valued at more than $300,000.
At press time, Tran was scheduled to return home after several weeks of recovery.