Khanh Thuong is gone but love remains

Roses bloom in the storm

What would you do when you are at the most beautiful age of your life, you have terminal cancer? A beautiful wedding is near, a job, a career is open and your passion for community activities is burning? Khanh Thuong's life encountered a storm right when she just started.

The small, gentle girl quietly faced difficult questions: how to continue living when she was sick? How to not die in her own fear? Is cancer the end?

But like a resilient rose that still blooms in the storm, Khanh Thuong has truly found true love and the greatest meaning of her life, when she is willing to give love to people in the same situation.

Khanh Thuong is optimistic during her days fighting against the disease. She shared: "We do not have the right to choose death, but we have the right to choose our attitude towards life."

In March 2013, Khanh Thuong was established.Breast Cancer Network Vietnam (BCNV). This is a place where cancer patients can exchange, confide, share information about the disease and help and care for each other. I realize the pain of the sick.

Cancer patients in Vietnam are "hungry" for information about their illness, lacking care and sympathy from the community. They are helpless, hiding their fear and frustration in the darkest corners and gradually losing faith in life..

Overcoming her own pain, Khanh Thuong has done something extremely meaningful. She identified the suffering and deadlock of cancer patients, brought it to light and called on the community to pay attention and support. Exchanging wigs, designing special bras, popularizing exercises specifically for breast cancer patients, organizing free yoga classes, cancer awareness programs in community groups... are small actions but show understanding and empathy at the most human level. She helps them open their hearts, calm down to continue living without fear: "Be stronger than fear - Take care of yourself - Love each other - Be useful together".With messages full of humanity, the Vietnam Breast Cancer Network has quickly attracted more artists and celebrities to participate in communication to raise awareness about breast cancer for women. Her actions and voice have moved even senior leaders in ministries and sectors to pay more attention to the rights of cancer patients.

Khanh Thuong in an activity of the Vietnam Breast Cancer Network. She sent the message: "Don't live in fear, share and give love."

Khanh Thuong had a beautiful wedding and a deep love with an Australian man who always loved and accompanied her throughout her remaining years. Mixed with the physical pain of enduring long chemotherapy sessions were happy days when she was always filled with love. Living to be better every day is already a precious thing for a normal person. But Khanh Thuong chose to live a more positive and beautiful life by spending the little time of her life to help and encourage others to have more faith and love for life.

Khanh Thuong had a beautiful wedding and a deep love with a husband who always cares for and loves her.

The love remains!

These days, on social networks, information about Khanh Thuong's passing has made students, friends, colleagues, teachers, and members of theVietnam Breast Cancer Networkshocked and sad.

Phan Quang Loc, a former student of Khanh Thuong, emotionally wrote a farewell message to his beloved teacher:“Rest in peace, teacher! Thank you, teacher full of energy and love, who instilled in us the passion and love for the profession we are pursuing.”

Mr. Phan Kien (Lecturer of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), a colleague of Khanh Thuong, lamented:“Farewell, sister, a kind and warm heart, a noble soul who always knows how to sacrifice. To me, you will always be a shining example for me to follow. Sleep well, sister, there will be no more pain!”

MembersVietnam Breast Cancer Networkempty before the great loss. Trang Hoang (member of Pink Hat) wrote: "Although I know that birth - aging - sickness - death is the law of life, my heart still aches and I feel sorry for you. Thank you for what you have done for the big Pink Hat family. Thank you for always lighting the fire of life for the big family during this time. So I will never receive messages from you again, and will never hear that familiar voice again. Go in peace, brave female warrior. Love you!"

But in that pain, Khanh Thuong's love and strong willpower seemed to help those who stayed behind become more resilient.

BCVN member duyenpham called: "I hope everyone will be steadfast, confident and determined. Thuong Sobey has passed away, there will be more goodbyes to other wonderful people of BCNV, but one thing is certain: BCNV must and will always move forward, operating more effectively. BCNV will continue to contribute to all Vietnamese women until it achieves the mission - the wish of Ms. Thuong Sobey - that: one day, no Vietnamese woman will die of breast cancer.".

BCVN member Son Nguyen: "Rest in peace. The work of you and your friends and colleagues will grow and help create confidence for many other women with breast cancer. I believe that the rest will continue your humanitarian work.".

Before the news of Nguyen Khanh Thuong's passing, on March 18, on Facebook, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien posted a letter of condolences to her family: "I truly appreciate and am touched by Khanh Thuong's kind heart, optimistic spirit and strong will. I know that right from her graduation, Khanh Thuong founded and organized many charity programs for the group.Love bracelet (Free Hugs group) such as: love in arms, love connection, give you tomorrow, love New Year's Eve, hope project, one hour to be a blind person... As a university lecturer, Khanh Thuong truly inspired students with her knowledge and personality. Later, even when she was in the treatment stage, Khanh Thuong still made constant efforts to organize communication campaigns to raise awareness in the community about cancer, help people in the same situation to reduce pain and encourage them to change to live a more useful life every day.".

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Khanh Thuong's belief in life, warm love and strong will have truly spread and touched the hearts of many Vietnamese people and international friends.

"What Khanh Thuong left behind for this life is a silent and gentle reminder, helping me and my colleagues to be more determined to implement health policies to promote the cause of protecting, caring for and improving people's health..From the bottom of my heart, I believe that every day that passes is a day that Khanh Thuong has lived fully for herself and for her loved ones.", Minister Tien shared.

In the media, Khanh Thuong's life has inspired a strong life for the community and society.

Vtc.vn newspaper wrote:"She has passed away but her work is still continuing, her unfinished journey will still be continued and ignited by millions of members, volunteers, and other young people across Vietnam and internationally. That journey will not stop.".

Anninhthudo posted: "Friends and acquaintances often call Nguyen Thi Khanh Thuong "the firelighter". She herself always reminds us to keep love like an eternal flame in our hearts. With the philosophy that people are strangers before loving each other, a warm hug will connect everyone, Thuong founded the charity group "Free Hugs Group - FHG".

Author Huynh Thi Ngoc Han (vnexpres.net) expressed admiration: "The girl I mentioned above once said about her days of fighting the disease that she was “in pain but not miserable” when she discovered that the cancer had metastasized to her bones, then the successive rounds of medication and her long hair was gone. But the way she spoke was as light as silk, along with an attitude towards life that could not be more optimistic. Anyone who saw her saw that she was beautiful, a beauty that radiated from within, from a warm heart, from a determination that was “stronger than fear”.

Goodbye Khanh Thuong! Overcoming storms, you lived a short but complete and meaningful life!