Pity the family where 8/9 members are sick

When we visited Mr. Nguyen Duc Kinh’s family, his wife, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ve, was home alone, holding her 4-month-old grandchild. When she saw the guests coming, Mrs. Ve just sat in one place, smiling and greeting them, unable to stand up because of her poor health.

She tearfully shared: "During my time in the army in Laos, due to the effects of the war, I suffered from bone and joint disease, my arms and legs gradually atrophied; it was very difficult to walk.The family has 4 generations, with 9 members, but only the 4-month-old grandchild is not sick, the other members are constantly sick.

Mr. Kinh's family only has a healthy grandson (4 months old). Photo: Ha Linh

Mr. Kinh's mother, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thai (born 1922), has suffered from chronic bone and joint disease and has been ill for many years. As for Mr. Kinh, when he was young, he served in the army in the K battlefield (Tay Ninh), was injured and lost 61% of his health and his right leg was paralyzed. The war wound tormented him, causing him to have chronic insomnia and his health to decline. He and his wife have 4 children, 3 of whom are daughters and have started families.

Mr. and Mrs. Kinh are currently living with their eldest son, Nguyen Duc Tuan. Due to the effects of Agent Orange from his parents, Tuan's personality is not normal. He cannot do heavy work, sometimes sits alone in a corner of the house or leaves home to wander.

He got married and had four children, but all of them were frail due to illness. The eldest daughter suffered from pneumonia since she was young and had to go to the hospital frequently for treatment. Due to her poor health, she had to drop out of school after 8th grade. His second daughter is mentally disabled. The third daughter has a congenital heart disease. Luckily, in 2014, she had a heart surgery done for charity and survived, but her health is weak and she is stunted.

Eight members of Mr. Kinh's family are sick and life is extremely difficult. Photo: Ha Linh.

Last August, Ms. Trinh Thi Gam (Mr. Tuan's wife) also discovered that she had a liver tumor when she was 6 months pregnant with her youngest child. After giving birth, she continued to receive treatment. Up to now, the baby is over 4 months old but only weighs about 3kg, is weak but is the only member of the family without any illness.

During her recent visit, Ms. Gam was referred to Hanoi K Hospital for liver tumor surgery. But partly because her youngest child was still too young, and her poor family did not know where to get money for treatment, she had to accept "living with" the fatal disease. Mr. Kinh's family has 9 people but no one is the main breadwinner. The life of 9 people only depends on 5 million VND per month from social security subsidies. That amount of money is only enough to cover the common living expenses for 9 mouths to feed, not enough to take care of the children's education and treatment for family members.

The children in the family are Mr. Kinh's grandchildren who are constantly sick and do not have the means, so they are at risk of having to drop out of school. Photo: Ha Linh

Sharing about the difficult circumstances of Mr. Kinh's family, Mr. Nguyen Duc Kien - Chairman of Dien Loi Commune People's Committee said: Mr. Kinh's family is a particularly difficult household in the commune. The family has 9 members who are often sick, no one is able to work, they are in dire need of sharing and help from kind-hearted people; to help them overcome difficulties and improve their lives./.

Please send any help to: Mr. Nguyen Duc Kinh (Hamlet 9, Dien Loi Commune, Dien Chau).

Phone: 01689.098.843

Or: Publishing Department - Social Activities - Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3, Lenin Avenue, Vinh City, Nghe An.