Disabled boy conquers his dream

(Baonghean) - Born with the "pain of Agent Orange", having to endure a lifelong disability, Hoang Van An has constantly overcome to seek the future. Anyone who has met him must admire the extraordinary willpower of a person who cannot stand on his own two feet but still yearns to conquer knowledge, a former student of FPT University.

The small house of Mr. Hoang Van Thai (born in 1952) is located in the middle of Hamlet 5, Nghi Xa Commune (Nghi Loc) and welcomes cool breezes blowing in from the sea. In the small room, Hoang Van An (born in 1987) is engrossed in his computer, designing an advertisement board for a business near his house.

Mr. Hoang Van Thai and his wife always accompany their disabled son. Photo: Cong Khang

Mr. Thai confided: “He is the youngest in the family, all his siblings are healthy and have their own families, only he was born disabled, the doctor said it was due to Agent Orange from his father. During the war against the US, I fought in the Quang Tri battlefield, marching through leafless forests...”. When he was born, An showed unusual signs, did not cry and refused to breastfeed, causing his relatives to worry, panic and try every way to treat him.

For several days like that, his body became increasingly purple, everyone thought he would not be able to live. Upon hearing the news, a relative came to put some pills on him, at night he cried and searched for his mother's breast. More than a week after giving birth, the baby did not breastfeed, so the breasts of Mrs. Hoang Thi Dinh (born in 1955) were dry, the milk no longer came, the mother once again suffered because she had to pump milk to save her baby.

Less than 4 months old, one day, baby An lay crying, his whole body writhing and trembling. The doctor diagnosed intussusception, surgery was performed urgently, 90cm of the baby's intestines were removed. Once again, An faced death, and the family was prepared for the worst.

But he still stayed with his parents to test his will to live, his courage as well as the love and care of his relatives. That life-threatening surgery saved his life but left Hoang Van An deformed, his two legs and left arm gradually atrophied and became deformed. He could not turn over, sit up and walk like normal children, all movements had to rely on the help of family members...

When he reached school age, seeing his peers being bought new clothes, school bags and books by their parents, An also wanted to go to school. But looking at his disabled child, with one arm cramped, two legs stiff and almost stuck together, having to move with his right hand and head, and having no strength, Mr. Thai and his wife were determined not to let their child go to class.

An cried and begged for a whole week, and finally his parents relented. Loving their son, Mr. Thai and his wife bought him books and notebooks, even though they knew the road ahead would be very difficult. During An's elementary school years, Mr. Thai and Mrs. Dinh took turns carrying him to class every day, through the rainy season with muddy roads, the cold season with wind that cut like skin, and the hot season with scorching Lao winds.

In junior high school, the road to school was longer, the father took his disabled son to class on an old bicycle. Putting his son on the rack, Mr. Thai used an elastic band to tie An's disabled legs to ensure safety, because if he let them hang down, the risk of them getting caught in the moving wheels was very high. With poor health and an extremely difficult sitting position, keeping up with the program was a big challenge for An.

He patiently listened to the teacher's lectures, tried to take notes with his still-healthy right hand, and studied the textbooks at home. Not only did he keep up with his friends, he was also ranked among the best in the class. During this time, An was always encouraged and cheered on by teacher Phan Thi Man on his journey to seek knowledge. Until now, many years have passed, but the thoughtful, affectionate and close gestures of teacher Man are still intact and fresh in the memory of the unfortunate student.

On the way to school, there were times when An was sick and had to miss a long period of school. When he recovered, he wanted to go to school again. At times like that, his parents advised him to stop, but An cried and crawled out to the main road to see his friends go to school. After several days like that, his legs and arms were bleeding, his clothes were torn, and once again Mr. Thai and his wife had to follow their son's wishes.

I thought that after finishing junior high school, An would voluntarily stop because the school was further away, the amount of knowledge increased, and there was also pressure and stress, but unexpectedly, An still asked to continue studying. Mr. Thai had to run around everywhere to buy a motorbike to take his son to school every day. Then 3 years of high school also passed with many hardships and worries of his parents, everyone was happy for An. Because a disabled person pursued his studies until the end of high school, something that not many people in his situation could do.

Hoang Van An designed the advertisement. Photo: Cong Khang

But the aspiration did not stop there, Hoang Van An took the exam and was admitted to FPT University. Many people came to congratulate and encourage Mr. Thai and his wife to create conditions for their son to continue his studies. Upon hearing the news, Mr. Phan Dinh Trac, who was then Chairman of Nghe An Province People's Committee, also came to encourage him and gave him a laptop to help him with his studies.

However, Mr. Thai and his wife could not avoid confusion and anxiety. Because this time they did not have to study in the commune or district, but in Hanoi, more than 300 kilometers away from home, the cost was expensive, but who would be there to help with living expenses and food? After a whole week of discussion, Mr. Thai finally decided to let Mrs. Dinh follow him to take care of and support his son during his university years, while he stayed home to work in the fields and gardens, find a way to make a living, and save money to send to the mother and son every month.

Life was already difficult, from now on it became even more difficult, the father worked hard from morning to night to earn money but it was not enough, he had to mortgage the house to borrow money to send to his son. The mother followed her son to the capital and had to work for hire to earn more money, so that her husband at home would have less trouble. Mrs. Dinh just wished time would pass quickly, so that An could graduate soon, so that she could return to her family and work with her husband. After two long years, Mrs. Dinh had a chance when a humanitarian center assigned someone to help An with her daily activities.

In 2013, Hoang Van An graduated from FPT University, majoring in Graphic Design. Since then, he has been designing advertisements for people he knows in the area at home. The income is not much, but he is not discouraged, because it is his dream and also his favorite job. An shared: “I really hope to be accepted into a workplace for the disabled, or have capital to open a printing and advertising facility at home. Currently, my family's economy is very difficult and tight, so I cannot realize my plan yet.”

Cong Khang