Sympathy for an old mother raising a mentally ill child and two orphaned grandchildren

(Baonghean.vn) - Although she is in her sixties and in poor health, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tem (born in 1949) in Hamlet 7, Khanh Son Commune (Nam Dan) still has to work hard to raise her mentally ill daughter and take care of her two orphaned grandchildren.

In 1968, Ms. Tem joined the youth volunteer force. In August 1969, while filling a bomb crater in Truong Bon, she was injured by a delayed-explosion bomb, had to go for treatment and was recognized as a 4/4 class disabled veteran.

After returning home from the army, she got married and had four children. Her husband was a worker who had served as a civilian laborer on the front lines in Laos. Both of them had fought in the war, which affected their health. Her husband had a heart condition and was often sick.

Their first daughter, Nguyen Thi Hang (born in 1974), was born deaf and mute, and had a very serious mental illness; she often had fits of vandalism and destroyed things in the house. During one of her fits of madness, Hang had an accident and lost her left eye.

The second son's family lives next door to her but also has hepatitis B. They have many children so their finances are very difficult; they cannot support their parents.

Her third and youngest daughters both worked as factory workers in Binh Duong and married far from home. Her third daughter, Nguyen Thi Dung (born in 1980), had her husband die after giving birth to two sons. Because her two children were too young to look after them and work alone, Dung had to take her two children to live with her maternal grandparents.

As a war invalid, suffering from heart failure and poor health, but out of love for her husband, sick children and two grandchildren, Mrs. Tem struggled to "shoulder" the burden of taking care of the whole family.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tem (Hamlet 7, Khanh Son 2, Khanh Son Commune, Nam Dan, Nghe An) single-handedly raises her two grandchildren and sick daughter. Photo: Ha Linh

In 2012, her husband passed away from a sudden heart attack. The family had 1 sao of rice field, and before, the mother and daughter, Dung (the third daughter), worked together to produce 5-6 quintals of rice each year, enough to feed the family of 6. But since her father passed away, Dung has been depressed and her health has declined significantly.

The shabby, dilapidated house has been a shelter for six people for many years; it leaks when it rains and is hot when it is sunny. There is nothing valuable in the house. Mrs. Tem has to borrow money from everywhere to pay for her daughter's treatment every time her heart disease relapses.

In December 2015, Dung's illness became worse and she passed away, leaving her elderly mother with a heavy debt burden, her crazy sister, and two young children...

Grandchildren Nguyen Gia Nhat Linh (10 years old) and Nguyen Gia Thai Bao (9 years old) were sent by their grandmother to study in grades 3 and 4 at Khanh Son 2 Primary School. Sympathizing with the grandmother's family situation, teachers donated and bought clothes and books to help the children.

Every month, her family receives 2 million VND in support, a government policy that supports families with special difficulties. But her family has 4 people, old, sick, and young children; the children are still in school, so it is not enough to cover living expenses.

In the past, Mrs. Tem was able to farm so she had rice to eat. Now her health is getting worse and worse, she can no longer farm. But every day she still does housework and cooks for the whole family. Sharing about her family's situation, she sadly said: "I'm old and have a heart condition, I don't know how long I'll live. I'm just worried that if I die, how will my sick child and two young grandchildren live?"

Mr. Dang Quang Minh - Deputy Secretary of Khanh Son Commune Party Committee said: Mrs. Tem's family is the most difficult household in the commune, the government is also very concerned but cannot help much. Hopefully her family will receive sharing and help from many kind-hearted people to be able to pay off debts and reduce the burden of old age still having to take care of children and grandchildren".

Ha Linh