Storm
The small level-four house of Ms. Tran Thi Hai's family is filled with a gloomy atmosphere. Ms. Hai's husband - the man who was originally the pillar of the family - is now lying motionless on the bed, his soulless eyes looking up at the ceiling.
The sudden stroke at midnight turned a main laborer into a vegetative. All personal activities of Ms. Hai's husband completely depended on relatives. That event was like a storm, sweeping away the last peace of a family that was already not well-off. All the burden of food, clothing, money, and medicine now fell on the shoulders of the mother.
In a choked sob, Ms. Hai shared with reporters her journey to find life for her husband.
“That night, my husband still kept books normally. But in the middle of the night when he woke up to go to the toilet, he suddenly fell and fainted. The family quickly took him to the hospital. Initial diagnosis was quite good, only need to monitor further. But a few days later, he suddenly vomited and had convulsions. At that time, the hospital indicated surgery” - Ms. Hai choked up recounting the horrific night.
Following that were lengthy surgeries. However, her husband's health condition still deteriorated day by day. 6 months after the surgery, he was ordered to have cerebral cortex surgery. At 9 am, the surgery was successful, igniting a flame of hope for her whole family. However, less than 12 hours later, he had a ruptured cerebral artery requiring urgent surgery. After many surgeries, he fell into a complete vegetative state.
I don't know what else to do, sometimes I just want to give up. But if I collapse, who will take care of my children, my mother? At that time, if it weren't for the children, I would probably have really given up" - Ms. Hai said helplessly.
With three young children under her armpits, an elderly mother and a seriously ill husband, that woman just revolved in the vortex of making a living from dawn to late at night. But the meager, precarious salary from her mother's manual labor was nothing compared to the money for medicine for her husband and tuition fees for her three children.
“The family now can only live precariously. Each month the family receives 750 thousand VND in insurance money, plus my meager amount is only enough to pay a small debt borrowed when he fell ill and struggled to make ends meet” - Ms. Hai struggled to calculate household expenses.
16 years old and the turning point of life
Since the day his father fell into a vegetative state, his mother struggled to make a living, the innocent world of his student Le Van Phuoc (16 years old) completely collapsed. Without any preparation, Phuoc was forced to step out of his comfort zone to become a support, becoming the "only man" to shoulder the family.
The thought of dropping out of school arose in the 16-year-old boy's mind since his father's hospital fees reached tens of millions of VND. Phuoc understood that if he continued to go to school, the burden on his mother's shoulders would become even heavier. He once thought about rearranging his books and asking to work as a construction worker at construction sites near his house.
At that time, I just thought that I should help and help my mother somewhat. So I decided to apply to work as a construction worker near my house. The daily wage is only 200 - 300 thousand VND. But as long as I have money to cover living expenses, I am always ready" - Phuoc confided.
Faced with the risk of a poor student having to drop out of school, the school board and the homeroom teacher promptly came to his house, tried their best to encourage him, and found ways to support funds to keep Phuoc in the classroom. However, his journey to school is now many times more arduous.
After each school session, Phuoc hurriedly cycled home to help with family work. The 11th grade student personally turned over, took care of, and bathed his father lying motionless on the hospital bed, and then hurriedly instructed his two younger siblings to study. Not willing to surrender to poverty, on weekends, Phuoc went to construction sites, asking for a construction worker job to earn a few extra dong for his father's medicine. The amount of 200 - 300 thousand VND has partly helped make the family meal more complete.
Sharing about his dream, Phuoc just smiled forcedly and replied: "Previously, I wanted to be able to learn electronics repair. However, with such a family situation, it is difficult for me to realize it. Therefore, I will temporarily put aside that dream so that I can take care of my family first.
Talking to reporters about the case of Ms. Hai's family, Ms. Ha Thi Hang - Vice Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front of Thien Nhan commune, Secretary of the Youth Union of Thien Nhan commune - could not help but be moved and said:
Ms. Hai's family is one of the particularly difficult circumstances in the area. Over the past time, the locality has always paid attention to and mobilized organizations and individuals to support and give gifts on holidays and Tet.
However, the family's circumstances are still very difficult, and we really hope to continue to receive the care, sharing and companionship of philanthropists and benefactors so that the family has more motivation to rise up in life.
All help for life situation LD26162 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.
