The pitiful family situation of the Nghe An teacher who suddenly passed away

Teacher Nguyen Thi Tam (born 1987) was born into a poor farming family from Nghe An who settled in the red soil of the Southeast. She is the youngest daughter, before her were 4 older sisters and 1 older brother.

When she was 3 years old, her father fell ill and passed away, making life more difficult for the mother and her 7 children. Her mother struggled day by day to raise 6 children to school age. Unable to survive in a foreign land, the mother and children returned to their hometown in Quynh Thanh commune, Quynh Luu district.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Tam is a shining example of emulation movements for good teaching and good learning; a Provincial-level Excellent Teacher and Grassroots Emulation Fighter for many consecutive years. In April 2020, teacher Tam was invited to broadcast live on Nghe An Television to teach History. Teacher Nguyen Thi Tam passed away suddenly, leaving behind grief for relatives and colleagues. Photo source: Provided by the family

Returning to their hometown, along with their relatives and neighbors, the mother and her 7 children worked and studied together. Time passed quickly, not disappointing their mother's expectations, the 6 sisters all left the arduous farming profession, had stable jobs and settled down. Among them, teacher Tam was considered the great pride of the family and clan. Studying hard and excelling, Tam passed the entrance exam to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, the most prestigious school in Nghe An. In university, Tam was an active Youth Union cadre, an excellent student for 4 consecutive years. Graduating with an Excellent degree, Tam was immediately accepted to teach History at Thai Lao High School, Hung Nguyen district.

When she had a stable job, in 2012, she got married; her husband was a soldier. Life became happier when in 2013 she gave birth to her first daughter and in 2017 welcomed Bo. Joy continued to be joy when disaster struck one after another. In 2016, her husband had to undergo hip replacement surgery. That same year, her eyesight became blurred and her vision decreased, so she had to be treated for a long time at Saigon Eye Hospital. In 2017, while she was pregnant with her second child, her husband had a stroke; in a life-threatening situation, he overcame the disease.

Her sudden passing left behind two young children; her husband is also seriously ill so he will not be able to work to support his two children in the near future. Photo source: Family provided

Also during her second pregnancy, the doctor discovered through ultrasound that Tam had a cyst in her ovary. In August 2020, she decided to have surgery to remove the tumor. From that day on, her health suddenly declined, making her emaciated. In addition, her chronic sinusitis relapsed and tormented her weak body.

Before she could recover, Bo developed a pimple on her ear cartilage, and the doctor ordered surgery. After being discharged from one hospital and admitted to another, teacher Tam had to temporarily put her teaching on hold to focus on treating her child.

But the disaster did not stop there, it was her turn to get sick. After a week of coughing and fever, thinking it was just a common seasonal flu, she had a severe pain attack and was hospitalized. At 9 pm on October 8, she was taken for a CT scan, the doctor concluded that there was no problem with her brain, then at 11 pm that same day, Teacher Tam suddenly vomited. At 3 am the next day, she fell into a deep coma until she returned to eternity.

Ms. Tam passed away, leaving behind a sick husband and two young children. Mr. Tuan (Ms. Tam's husband) was in great pain when his wife suddenly passed away. When Ms. Tam's coffin was put on the hearse, he could not bear the pain and had a stroke and had to be taken to the emergency room.

Mr. Phan Tran Hai - Principal of Thai Lao High School shared: “Teacher Tam's passing leaves behind endless sorrow for the Board of Directors, colleagues and students of the whole school. At this school, she is a shining example of the Emulation movements of good teaching and good learning, recognized as a Provincial-level Excellent Teacher, a Grassroots Emulation Fighter for many years, despite her extremely difficult family circumstances. In order to share her situation, the School Board of Directors visited, encouraged and supported her family with 10 million VND; in addition, the School Union Executive Committee also launched and called on the school's teachers to support and donate with the hope of helping Ms. Tam's two children in the coming time."

Please send all support to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (teacher Nguyen Thi Tam's sister), phone number: 0932.321.974, account number 51510000450209 - Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, Phu Dien branch, Nghe An.