Selling all the land to treat my child's illness
In Hong Lieu TDP, Tan Hung ward, Hai Phong city, Ms. Pham Thi Gon, 61 years old, is burdened with a family with too many people in need of care. Without a husband, for many years she has been both farming and taking care of her children, but continuous illnesses have struck, making the family's life increasingly exhausted.
Mrs. Gon has had vestibular disease for about 10 years. Her health is not good, but she still tries to work hard to have money to cover living expenses and take care of her children.
Her son is Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong (born in 1992), who used to work as a construction worker. About 3 years ago, after a cold, his health suddenly declined. He suffered from crooked mouth, with symptoms similar to stroke, then his memory and cognitive ability were no longer normal.
She is sometimes alert, sometimes naive, and doesn't know anything. There are times when she can still work but it's insignificant" - Ms. Gon recounted.
From a healthy worker, her son is now almost unable to take care of his own life. When he is awake, he still tries to do some things, but the income is insignificant and his health is increasingly limited.
Not yet able to stabilize her son's life, in the middle of last year, her daughter-in-law, Ms. Nguyen Thi Non, suffered a stroke again. Nearly a year after treatment, the woman who used to be a worker is still unable to walk. One side of her body is almost unable to move, her hands have not moved normally, and everyone's personal activities must be taken care of.
Since then, everything in the family has fallen on the shoulders of her mother-in-law who is over 60 years old.
Every day, Mrs. Gon cooks rice, takes care of her son and daughter-in-law; from bathing to changing diapers, she has to do it herself. There are days when she is tired and her vestibular disease recurs, she still cannot rest because behind her are two children who cannot take care of themselves.
Wherever I put them, I have to take care of them all. My children are sick like this, I, as a mother, don't know what to do" - she said.
Two children face the risk of having to drop out of school
Mrs. Gon's family has two granddaughters, one 10-year-old and one 8-year-old. At an age where they should only focus on studying, the grandchildren soon witnessed their parents' illness and their grandmother's daily hard work taking care of them.
Previously, Mrs. Gon also farmed. But to have money to treat her two children, she had to sell all the fields and land. Up to now, the family no longer has land to cultivate, which means that she also lost her main source of income.
Relatives and relatives help, some lend, some support. However, in the current situation, those amounts of money are no different from "salt in the sea". Money for treatment, living expenses, food and care for patients is still a constant burden.
In the house lacking a man to lean on, Mrs. Gon could only try her best every day. What she was most worried about at this time was not herself but the future of her two grandchildren.
Mentioning the grandchildren, Mrs. Gon could not hide her emotions. She recounted that her eldest grandchild once told her to drop out of school to work, and the two grandmothers and grandchildren went to work together to earn money. The story was told in tears, because a 10-year-old child thought about dropping out of school to share the burden with her.
The two children are still being cared for and supported by the school to have conditions to continue going to class. But in the face of increasingly difficult family circumstances, the risk of the children's studies being affected is still something that Ms. Gon is concerned about.
I love my grandchildren very much. I just hope they can go to school, have a job later, but now my parents are like this, and my grandmother is old already" - Mrs. Gon choked up.
At Hong Lieu TDP, many people know the circumstances of Ms. Gon's family and still regularly care for and encourage them. Mr. Pham Van Khanh - Head of Hong Lieu TDP, said that Ms. Gon's family is in particularly difficult circumstances. She herself is old and sick, while both children are unable to have stable labor.
According to Mr. Khanh, in recent years, the local authorities and surrounding people have also provided support to the family. However, taking care of the two patients for a long time still makes the family's situation extremely difficult.
That burden is still placed on the shoulders of the 61-year-old woman. From a mother taking care of her children, Mrs. Gon now has to take care of her grandchildren instead of her children, taking care of both her son and daughter-in-law who are sick.
Every day that passes is a day she continues to manage with expenses she doesn't know where to get, both taking care of the sick and trying to keep the two children going to school. The simplest thing she wishes is for her children to recover one day, for the children not to drop out of school and for the family to be able to overcome the difficult days ahead.
All help for life situation LD26193 please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem Ward, 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.
