The "super" mother
Sitting absentmindedly on the empty porch of her house in Group 1, Tinh Tuc town, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province, Ms. Le Thi Bang (65 years old) had tears in her eyes when talking about the current situation of her two grandchildren, Nguyen Thi Dieu Chau (15 years old), and Nguyen Quynh Anh (6 years old).
Her voice dropped as she recounted her last conversation with her daughter, Truong Thi Mai An (38 years old, Vice Principal of Tinh Tuc Kindergarten): “It was around 10pm on September 9th, I waited for my daughter to come home from school but she didn’t come back. I called her anxiously and she said there was a landslide. An also told me to let the children go to bed first because they couldn’t go or come back right now.”
She did not expect that this would be the last conversation she had with her daughter. Ms. An passed away in the landslide that buried and swept away a passenger bus, a car, and many motorbikes in Ca Thanh commune.
Going back in time, Ms. Bang said: In 2006, Ms. Truong Thi Mai An married Mr. Nguyen Trong Nghia and welcomed her first child, Nguyen Thi Dieu Chau, in 2009. However, the happiness was short-lived when Chau was diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy. She started the most difficult challenges of her life.
In 2018, Ms. An gave birth to her second child, Nguyen Quynh Anh. However, seeing that the baby was showing unusual signs, the couple took her to the hospital for examination. Once again, the teacher collapsed when the doctor concluded that Quynh Anh had two serious illnesses: thoracic stenosis and a strange disease called "stomach hanging from the ribs".
Faced with family difficulties, Mr. Nghia joined a Security Training course and was hired as a security guard for the Hanoi-based Oil and Gas Group in 2019 with a basic salary of 8-10 million VND/month. So, the couple had to live apart to save money, hoping to have enough money to soon have surgery for Quynh Anh and take care of the older child Dieu Chau.
In the eyes of her neighbors and colleagues, Ms. An is always an optimist who overcomes adversity. She inspires enthusiasm for her job and for children. She also actively participates in the Vietnam Association of Families of Children and People with Cerebral Palsy as an Executive Committee member and Head of the Cao Bang Province Association of Children with Cerebral Palsy.
Whenever she hears about a place where there are children with cerebral palsy or in difficult circumstances, she rushes to the road with her feelings, sharing, and sympathy for families with children with cerebral palsy, because she is in the same situation, she is a "superhuman" mother.
Wishes buried under mud, blood and tears
In early 2024, Ms. An's husband, once a healthy man, suffered from chronic stomach disease and, due to his worries for his family, suffered from severe stomach bleeding and lost 27kg.
After being taken to the emergency room and being treated stably, he was discharged, had to quit his job, and returned to his hometown in Cao Bang. Despite the many difficulties, Ms. An felt happier being close to her husband to share the joys and sorrows in life.
But on the fateful morning of September 9, a natural disaster took the life of the wife and mother. After 3 days lying in the cold stream, teacher An was found and brought back to her family.
“My mother passed away, leaving behind two children, the eldest is 15 years old but has to go to integrated school due to cerebral palsy, the second is 6 years old and has been diagnosed with thoracic stenosis and is awaiting surgery. So my daughter’s wishes for many years have been buried under mud, blood and tears,” said Mrs. Bang in pain and despair.
With affection and responsibility to care for union members, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and all levels of the Cao Bang Provincial Trade Union have encouraged, visited and shared with the relatives of teacher An's family. At the same time, they understand the family's wishes and aspirations to have the most optimal plan for long-term support.
However, to make this happen soon, we need the attention and cooperation of all levels, sectors and many kind-hearted people to contribute to realizing the unfinished wish of the "superhuman" mother.
Any help for the life of LD 24069, please send to: Golden Heart Social Charity Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; STK: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; STK: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
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