"Fairy tale" in everyday life

(Baonghean) - For the people of Trang Son hamlet, Giang Son Tay commune, Do Luong district, whenever reminding their children to study, they always use the example of Phan Thi Thuong's strong will to teach them. Although her limbs are not intact and her family's circumstances are difficult, Thuong has been an excellent student for many years in a row...

We returned to Trang Son commune on a weekend. The early summer sun was scorching. The newly renovated small house of Mr. Phan Van Nga and Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam's family was deep in a deserted alley. The house had nothing valuable except a shabby table and an old TV. Mr. Nga and Ms. Tam were both away, leaving only the two children busy with buckets and basins in the kitchen. Seeing a stranger, the two siblings went upstairs and shyly poured water to invite the guests. Thuong whispered: "Today is Sunday, I'm home from school. I study at a humanitarian center, so my mother took me there on Monday morning, and my mother came to pick me up on Friday afternoon."

Looking at Thuong's pretty face and round eyes, no one would think she is a girl with a disability. Her hands only have two little fingers, her feet have no feet, all of Thuong's activities depend on those two "God-given" fingers. Thuong took out a pen and notebook to write for us to see. Holding the pen tightly with her two little fingers, Thuong leaned forward tiredly. The round, neat handwriting appeared, making me extremely impressed. Thuong said: "At first, it was a bit difficult to practice writing, but now I'm used to it, I can write as fast as my friends." Looking at Thuong writing, I remembered the image of teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky in the reading book in elementary school...

Phan Thi Thuong practices writing.

A moment later, Ms. Tam, Thuong's mother, returned from the field. Her face was still covered in sweat, but when talking about Thuong, her eyes lit up with pride and sadness. Ms. Tam shared: "During the time I was pregnant with Thuong, I had a bad feeling. Because the fetus in my womb rarely moved. The family's circumstances were difficult, and there were no conditions for food and nutrition. When Thuong cried out at birth, I did not expect that my own child would be born without both legs and arms. I felt less for myself than for my child." Then, Thuong grew up in the love and protection of her family...

Thuong's father, Phan Van Nga, was often sick, so Tam had to do everything by herself. The family only had a few fields of contracted rice. Every day, when neighbors hired her to do something, Tam tried her best to work extra to raise her children. There were times when she was tired and discouraged, but looking at her two young children, she could not bear to give up. Many nights, looking at her poor daughter sitting next to her husband studying, she understood that no matter how difficult it was, she still had to send Thuong to school. Her daughter was born with a physical defect, she could not let her "lack literacy". So, every day, the couple took turns taking their daughter to school. Many days when Nga was sick, Tam had to take care of her husband at the hospital, and no one took Thuong to school, so she stayed home alone to practice writing. Feeling sorry for her parents' hardships, every day, in addition to studying, she also learned to take care of herself, only when it was very difficult did she have to ask her parents for help.

During the first days of school, seeing her daughter diligently practicing writing, sweating profusely, her heart ached. At that time, she did not dare to think that one day, her daughter would be able to write her thoughts on paper. Loving her daughter, she could only silently accompany her on the way from home to school, and from school back home. She also did not expect that her little daughter would have such extraordinary willpower. Every day, outside of class, Thuong diligently practiced writing. Sometimes her two little fingers were red and her elbows were purple. The house did not even have a table and chair to sit and study, so Thuong often sat on the bed to write. Wiping away her tears, Ms. Tam shared: "Sometimes after two or three days of work, I was too tired to watch my daughter study. When I took out her notebook to read, I saw the neat lines and I was very happy. I did not expect my daughter to be so good." Thanks to the encouragement and help of teachers and friends, Thuong improved very quickly, and for many years she was an excellent student.

In the second grade, Thuong was transferred to study at the Do Luong District Humanitarian Center. On the first day away from home, Thuong was reserved, and many nights Tam missed her child and could not sleep. However, with extraordinary determination, the little student quickly integrated into the new environment. Seeing her adopted child still refusing to grow up, she worried, would Thuong have enough health to withstand such a cruel fate? For her, Thuong is very happy that she is not sick or ill. What Thuong has done today has exceeded her expectations. Not only is Thuong a good student, she is also enthusiastic in helping her weaker classmates, so she is loved by her friends and teachers. Now, the center has become Thuong's second home.

This year, Thuong is 10 years old, she doesn’t look much older than her first grade classmates. Only her eyes are less naive. Because that little girl is aware of her physical defects, aware of her future. In a moment of contemplation, she suddenly asked me: “If I don’t have arms or legs, what can I study?” Her question startled me. Thuong is no longer the carefree girl of a 10 year old.

The old saying goes: “Rich eyes, poor hands”, with Phan Thi Thuong, with only 2 small fingers, she has written a fairy tale in the middle of everyday life with will and determination. Thuong never thought that one day she would give up her studies. So many dreams and plans are still cherished. Thuong is the fire that lights up the desire to live, the desire to overcome fate. Talking to her, I feel like I have been given more strength and faith in life. From now on, Thuong will continue to write fairy tales in the middle of everyday life of those who came before her such as Nguyen Ngoc Ky, Hoa Xuan Tu…

NL