Nearly 80-year-old woman raises mentally ill child and cerebral palsy grandson

(Baonghean.vn) - 78 years old, old and weak, family is too poor butMrs. Dang Thi ChinhliveDien Loi commune (Dien Chau, Nghe An)have to raise both mentally ill son and cerebral palsy grandson.

The first scene we witnessed when visiting Mrs. Chinh's house was the sight of her eldest grandson screaming naked, crawling around a crumpled mat spread out in the middle of the yard. Mrs. Chinh sadly said: I'm old, why does God still punish me with such suffering? My husband died early, the family has 5 children but not many of them are wise, both foolish and poor, so they dropped out of school one by one, clinging to the rice fields to have food and clothes... when they grew up a little, some went to the South, some went to the North to work for hire, then got married far away.

Then she used her thin, bony hand to wipe away the tears from her dark circles, and cried out in self-pity: at this age, she has not had a single day of peace, nor a full night of sleep. Sometimes, while sleeping soundly, she hears a scream that makes her limbs weak, her heart pounding, and she wakes up to see her grandchild rolling around on the ground, crying and laughing wildly, both afraid and pitiful for her grandchild. She also thinks of her poor son who lives alone in a house outside the neighborhood, not knowing if he is running out to pick up trash in the middle of the night...

Mrs. Chinh painfully wiped away tears of grief for her sick children and grandchildren. Photo: Ha Linh

The poor child that Mrs. Chinh mentioned was her eldest son, Tran Huu Thong, born in 1974. The year he reached military age, he volunteered to join the army and be stationed in an area affected by Agent Orange. Thong, like some of his comrades at the time, got married and had children without knowing that misfortune was coming to his family.

In 1997, the first son, Tran Huu Hung, was born. The couple was happy to see their son with a beautiful and handsome appearance, but the joy was short-lived when each passing day, Hung showed signs of abnormality and was constantly sick. At 6 months old, the hospital concluded that he had cerebral palsy due to the effects of Agent Orange from his father. The family took him to many places hoping for treatment, but they only gave him instructions, advice and medicine to prevent more serious complications, but with such difficult family circumstances, it was impossible to completely cure him.

Since discovering his son's illness, Mr. Thong's temperament has also become erratic, and he in turn has been hospitalized for mental illness. His wife struggled to take care of her husband and children for two years, but could not stand the constant running from one hospital to another to take care of her husband and children, so she abandoned her mother-in-law, went to the South to work, and started another family.

Mr. Thong stood dumbfounded in front of the old house filled with bags of trash that he picked up and brought home every day. Photo: Ha Linh.

In 2003, Mr. Thong fell in love with a girl from a neighboring commune and they lived together, giving birth to a baby girl, Tran Thi Hoai Thuong. However, after his wife gave birth, Mr. Thong's illness continued to worsen. When his daughter had just finished first grade, his second wife had to take her to the South to work for hire to raise her.

Every time he had a fit, Mr. Thong would chase and beat his mother. Because she had to take care of her grandson, Tran Huu Hung, Mrs. Chinh had to take shelter in the old shack her grandparents had left behind. After the shack collapsed, she received 40 million VND from a charity program. The house was repaired and has been a shelter for the grandmother and her grandchildren since 2010.

Normally, Mr. Thong is gentle, does not curse or beat anyone, and every day he picks up trash, puts it in bags and puts it in every corner of the house like property. However, when he has a fit, he cannot recognize his mother, glares at her threateningly, making her scared and run away.

In 2014, Thuong was brought to Mrs. Chinh by her mother so that she could go to primary school in the commune and help her bring food to her father every day. When the food was brought over, Thuong did not dare to go near it because she was afraid. Many days the food was left there for ants to crawl on, sometimes the chickens ate it, and Mr. Thong went hungry. Because she had to follow her mother to work here and there, even though she was 14 years old, Thuong only studied until grade 3.

Thuong was brought home by her mother to go to school and help her grandmother bring food to her father. Although she is 13 years old, she is only in 3rd grade because she has to follow her mother to work everywhere. Photo: Ha Linh

Currently, Mrs. Chinh's children are all in different places, and she has to take care of Mr. Thong and Hung alone. She has to work on the fields and take care of her sick children and grandchildren. Every month, Mrs. Chinh receives allowances for her two sick children and grandchildren, along with money from Mr. Thong and his father. She only dares to buy rice, and her main food is cheap, stale food, and vegetables and pickles are asked from villagers to survive.

Thuong's mother occasionally sends home some money, asking her to buy food for Thong and his father. Every time she calls home, she encourages her to try hard so she can earn a little more money. Later, when Thong is no longer strong enough to walk or destroy things, she will return to her hometown to take care of the two of them.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Hong - Secretary of the Dien Loi Commune Party Committee said that the commune could not provide much support, only caring about holidays and Tet. He also hoped that Ms. Chinh's family would receive many kind hearts and help so that she could have more funds to buy medicine and treat her children and grandchildren, because if she passed away, who knows what would happen to Mr. Thong and his children? Ms. Thong's family is in dire need of help and sharing from kind-hearted people.

Ha Linh