It was not difficult for us to find Mr. Pham Van Hoa's house in village 1, Lang Son commune. Located close to the Lam River, the small, shabby two-room house has been home to four people for the past several decades. For Mr. Hoa and his wife, there is no greater pain than the pain of having to struggle to earn a living for the whole family and take care of their two disabled children for over 50 years.

Mr. Hoa and his wife and their two disabled children. Photo: Thai Hien

When we arrived, Mrs. Hoa had just returned from the hospital due to gallstones, while Mr. Hoa was alone, cleaning his son and cooking dinner. Pausing to continue the conversation, Mr. Hoa confided: Both of them were born and raised by the Lam River in Lang Son. Because the family did not have any land or garden, they lived by fishing since they were young.

In 1961, they got married, two years later Du was born. As Du grew older, his legs became more and more atrophied, unable to move, and he was also tormented by skin and muscle tumors, so he was constantly in pain. His legs could not walk, he just stayed around the house. When his parents were away, he tried to drag his legs to do chores around the house, but he kept getting injured, one wound had not healed yet when another one appeared.

In 1968, they gave birth to Nguyen Thi Duyen. When she was born, Duyen was healthy and normal like everyone else. When she was 20 years old, for some unknown reason, her eyes gradually became dim, then she became completely blind. In recent years, she has also been tormented by migraines.

When he was healthy, Mr. Hoa and his wife lived mainly on the river, fishing all year round to pay for medicine and raise two disabled children. For the past three years, he has not been able to go out anymore, so he sold all his tools and just stays home to take care of his children.

Mr. Hoa takes care of Mr. Du. Photo: Thai Hien

Mr. Hoa choked up and said: “Other people eat 3 types of food, but we are poor so we eat 2 types of food. We are used to it, we have suffered since birth. It is not that we do not try, but we cannot try anymore. Now on the slope, there is not a single moment without worries. I do not know how many more years our two old parents will be able to feed them.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, a neighbor of Mr. Hoa's family, said: At Mr. Hoa's age, Mrs. Hoa should be resting, having children to hold, but now she has to take care of two disabled children for decades. We, the neighbors, feel sorry for them but cannot help much. Currently, Mr. Hoa is old and weak, Mrs. Hoa is weak and has to go to the hospital all the time, Mr. Du and Ms. Duyen often get sick when the weather changes. The whole family depends on monthly allowances, only over 2 million VND per month for 4 people. Many months, the allowance is not enough to pay for medicine because of the many illnesses during the month.

All the housework falls on Mr. Hoa, who is nearly 90 years old this year. Photo: Thai Hien

Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung - Vice Chairman of Lang Son Commune People's Committee added: Mr. and Mrs. Hoa's family is a special case in the commune. They are at a rare age, and they are raising two disabled children. The local government also cares a lot about the family, every time the superiors have support policies, or give gifts on holidays, the commune gives priority to the family but still cannot compensate. Currently, his family still enjoys social protection, all expenses for the daily life of 4 people depend on this subsidy, there is no other income. Through this, we hope that organizations and benefactors will pay attention and help to reduce the suffering of Mr. Pham Van Hoa's family.

Please send any help to the Department of Publishing and Social Activities - Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3, Le Nin Avenue, Hung Phuc Ward - Vinh City - Nghe An. Contact phone: (023) 83.588138; (023) 88600006.

Or: Mr. Pham Van Hoa, village 1, Lang Son commune, Anh Son district, Nghe An province. Phone number: 01649.468.215.