A 10-month-old baby boy has spent his entire life unable to open his eyes properly after being born with a congenital eye condition — leaving his young mother dreaming of just one precious moment: seeing her son look at her for the first time.

Baby Nam was born ten months ago to 21-year-old Chi and her husband. Throughout the pregnancy, all of Chi’s ultrasound examinations had appeared normal, and the young couple were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child.

But after a difficult emergency delivery, their happiness quickly turned into heartbreak.

Doctors told the parents that Nam had been born with a congenital abnormality affecting his eyelids. His eyelids were tightly joined together, preventing him from opening his eyes and seeing the world around him.

“I only have one wish — that my son can see the light,” the young mother said. “Every mother wants her child to be healthy, but my little boy has already been through so much.”

Chi’s own delivery had been difficult. After more than half a day of labor, she was unable to give birth naturally and eventually required an emergency C-section. She later developed an infection around the surgical wound and spent nearly two weeks recovering in hospital.

Yet through all of this, her attention remained on her tiny son.

Since birth, Nam has needed repeated medical examinations as his parents searched for answers and possible treatment. His mother remembers watching him smile, make little sounds and move his tiny hands and feet — while knowing that he could not experience the world through sight like other babies.

At just one month old, Nam was taken to the National Eye Hospital for examination and later returned for follow-up appointments. But his parents were left with little hope of treatment locally.

She had read stories about children who had traveled to Singapore for specialist eye examinations and treatment, with some eventually gaining the ability to see. She began hoping that Nam might have even the smallest chance.

“If there is even a one percent chance that he could see his parents’ faces one day, I want to try,” she said.

That hope, however, comes with a huge financial challenge.

The family has been told that traveling to Singapore for specialist assessment could cost around 200 million Vietnamese dong for an examination, while the cost of any potential surgery would only become clear after doctors evaluated Nam.

For Chi and her husband, such an amount is almost unimaginable. Chi does not currently have a profession, while her husband works as a manual laborer, earning money day by day to support the family.

Then came an email from the hospital in Singapore asking whether the family had the means to bring Nam there for further examinations.

“I don’t need anything for myself,” she said. “I just want my son to have the chance to see the world — and, most of all, to see his mother and father.”

For ten months, Nam has experienced the world through sounds, touch and the loving voices of those around him. His mother has learned to treasure every smile and every tiny movement, even though she has never seen her son look back at her.

Now, Chi is holding on to one simple dream: that one day, her little boy might finally open his eyes and see the face that has been beside him since the beginning.