The journey to find happiness of a paralyzed girl

Do not surrender to fate

In a small house in the middle of Nam Kim Hoa hamlet, Nghi Thuan commune (Nghi Loc - Nghe An), Ms. Tran Thi Viet Trinh (born in 1988) is engrossed in her laptop. Despite the cold and rainy weather, she takes advantage of the opportunity to work online, promoting products for a pharmaceutical and cosmetic company in Hanoi.

Having a guest come to the house, Ms. Trinh paused her work and talked openly about her life. “When I was almost 1 year old, I suffered from a prolonged bout of polio that left me paralyzed on one side. Although my parents tried their best to treat me, my condition did not improve. The doctor said that if I recovered, I would only be able to sit and would not be able to walk on my own. But my parents did not believe that conclusion, so my mother decided to quit her job and stay home to take care of me and do physical therapy for me. And luckily, at 4 years old, I took my first steps. Since I realized my disadvantage, I have always tried to overcome it. Although I sometimes felt tired, I never lost hope,” Ms. Trinh began the story.

When she reached school age, Viet Trinh was provided with books and clothes by her parents to go to school like her peers. However, with her disabled legs, she could not go to school by herself. Every day, her parents had to take turns picking her up and dropping her off, supporting her on her journey to find knowledge. And so, year after year, rain or shine, the little girl went to school every day on her parents' old car.

Realizing the hardships and worries of her parents, Viet Trinh knew she had to work hard, study hard, and achieve good results to please her parents. Especially in grade 9, Viet Trinh was recognized as a provincial-level excellent student in Biology, contributing to bringing honor to the school as well as her family.

And she also soon realized that with a disabled body, only education could give her a future. When she entered high school, the distance from home to school was even longer (about 6km), her parents were busier with housework, arranging work to take Viet Trinh to class every day; on days when her parents were too busy, Viet Trinh was picked up and dropped off by her brother and friends.

Faced with everyone's sincerity, the disabled girl promised herself that she would never stop trying, nurturing her aspiration to become a useful person for society. After graduating from high school, Viet Trinh passed the entrance exam to Nghe An Medical College, majoring in General Nursing. From here, she began her independent life, away from her family to pursue her aspiration.

After 3 years of hard work in the lecture hall, in 2010 Viet Trinh graduated from school and began her arduous journey to make a living. Holding a good nursing college degree in hand, she went to many places but everyone was concerned about her disabled body. Once again, fate put her in front of a challenge...

And once again, the disabled girl found a way to rise up, she found her way to Hanoi, applied to attend an IT training class for the disabled, then worked in a number of agencies and non-governmental organizations. She also boldly participated in the "Crescent Moon Beauty" contest and was in the top 15; participated in the fashion show "I am beautiful. You too" which was held for the first time in Vietnam exclusively for disabled women nationwide by the Center for Will to Live.

"Sweet fruit" of everyday life

But for a disabled person living far from family and relatives, struggling alone in Hanoi is not easy, Ms. Viet Trinh decided to return to her hometown, learn more about pharmacy to find a job opportunity. Finally, she accepted a job as a health worker in the neighborhood, being close to her family, relatives and neighbors.

The allowance for the village health workers was too little compared to her own needs, so Ms. Viet Trinh opened a modern medicine counter to serve the people in the village and neighboring areas. Having been trained in medicine and pharmacy, she gained the trust of many people, whenever they had common illnesses, people often came to buy medicine from her.

In 2016, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi (born in 1983), a young man from a neighboring commune (Nghi Long) came to see Ms. Viet Trinh to buy flu medicine. Through their conversation, he recognized the beauty and kindness of the disabled girl and fell in love. After that day, Mr. Hoi often found excuses to go over and talk to the medicine seller.

Faced with the special attention and affection of a strange man, Ms. Viet Trinh began to feel her heart flutter and yearn for love. In her heart, there was a conflict, half wanting to love and be loved, the other half stirring up anxiety and worry. Because Mr. Hoi was a completely healthy person, while she herself was a disabled girl.

With his simple and sincere feelings, Mr. Hoi conquered the heart of the girl he loved. Ms. Viet Trinh opened her heart to accept his love, despite the many difficulties and hardships that awaited her ahead…

But at first, Mr. Hoi's family opposed the marriage, because everyone was worried about his future life when he was tied to a disabled girl. He showed his determination and gradually convinced his relatives, and finally the family agreed to let the two of them work together to build happiness.

So after a period of knowing and loving each other, they got married and started a new life. After more than 2 years of waiting, in 2019, Ms. Viet Trinh gave birth to her first baby girl, and the following year she gave birth to her second baby girl. Life was hard, but the happy home was always filled with laughter and the cries of children.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi is working as a factory worker in Nam Cam Industrial Park (Nghi Loc), and in his spare time he also does electrical repair work. Ms. Viet Trinh earns her income from working as a neighborhood health worker, selling modern medicine and working online. The couple's income is enough to cover the family's living expenses and their children's education.

Currently, Ms. Viet Trinh is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of People with Disabilities in Nghe An province, the Head of the Association of People with Disabilities in Nghi Loc district and has many initiatives and actions to help members. Thanks to that, she has been honored by agencies and organizations, including the Certificate of Merit from the Association of People with Disabilities in the province and the Provincial Women's Union honored her as one of 30 outstanding disabled women in the province.

“I am content with my current life, a normal life and simple happiness that is not easy to achieve. It is the result of a journey through many hardships and challenges with a lot of determination to overcome circumstances and fate. Through this, I want to tell women in the same situation: Be optimistic, confident and have faith in yourself and life. Don't let difficulties hinder your desire to rise up and contribute, your desire to have happy love.”

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MS. TRAN THI VIET TRINH