In a rudimentary house, now seriously degraded in Ha Thai village, Duyen Thai commune (Hanoi), Ms. Do Thi Son (born in 1958) diligently sits and weaves each handmade flower branch every day. That meticulous work brings her about 1 million VND/month - a small amount of money to cover living expenses and medicine.
The woman nearly 70 years old quietly weaves small flower branches - behind each string, each petal is the effort and hardship of an old and weak grandmother, trying to stand firm to raise her two grandchildren to adulthood with her daughter-in-law.
Currently, Ms. Son's health has declined. She suffers from many diseases such as severe bone and joint pain, stomach pain, poor memory and reduced vision. On days when the weather changes, her whole body aches and she has difficulty walking. Each month, her own medicine costs nearly 1 million VND.
“Sometimes I just light incense and it hurts a lot, I have to try, endure it a lot...”, Ms. Son sadly shared.
Mrs. Son's life has been full of hardship since she was young. At the age of 20, she got married and became attached to lacquer painting - a traditional craft of Ha Thai village. In her youth, she worked hard to raise her children to adulthood.
After giving birth to her first son, she discovered she had stomach disease. Not long after, the doctor also advised her to have spinal surgery. She once went to Viet Duc Hospital for examination but finally decided not to have surgery because she was worried about complications. "At that time, my child was still young, if I were lying in one place, who would raise my child now...", Ms. Son choked up.
It was thought that when old age came, she could rely on her children, but the biggest upheaval came in 2014 - when her son - Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - died of terminal lung cancer.
Previously, Mr. Thanh worked as a lacquer craftsman, earning about 15 million VND/month, and was the economic pillar of the family. Initially, he only coughed and lost weight, but was subjective and did not go for examination. When he went to the hospital for examination, doctors successively discovered that he had tuberculosis, pneumonia and finally end-stage lung cancer.
“When the doctor reported a serious illness, she said to me:'Mom, I'm sorry, when I reached my age to repay you, I was seriously ill again...', Mrs. Son choked up.
The time Mr. Thanh was hospitalized for 3 months of treatment was also when his wife - Ms. Le Phuong Tu - was pregnant. When he died, less than 100 days later, baby Nguyen Thanh Truc was born.
Currently, Mrs. Son and her daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren live dependent on each other. The eldest grandchild Nguyen Tri Tai, 16 years old, is in 9th grade; the youngest grandchild Thanh Truc is in 5th grade. Both are obedient and study well, but family life is still full of difficulties.
Her daughter-in-law continues to work as a lacquer worker to raise her children, but her income is precarious. Mrs. Son, despite being sick, still tries to weave flowers to help the family. "Sometimes when I miss my son so much, I can only sit and cry alone," Mrs. Son sobbed when mentioning her son...
In addition to her deceased son, she also has a daughter named Nguyen Thi Thanh, who has started her own family but life is also difficult. Her husband has spinal spurs, and her husband's family has elderly people, so helping her mother is also limited.
Relatives and siblings near Mrs. Son often come to visit and encourage, but everyone has their own circumstances, so they can only provide some support.
Talking to a reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Thi, Head of Ha Thai village, Duyen Thai commune, said that Mrs. Son's situation is very pitiful. She is old, sick for many years, has no stable source of support, while the family still has to take care of two orphaned children.
The locality really hopes that philanthropists will pay attention and help Ms. Son and her family to have more conditions to overcome difficulties," Mr. Thi said.
All help for life situation LD26056 please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at VietinBank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Account number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Account number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
Or contact Ms. Son directly via phone number: 0984919181.
