On September 5, the opening day of all students in Nghe An, like many other students, boy Cut Van Lu, after nearly a year of treatment at hospitals in Vinh city, was also excited to prepare his school bag to attend the opening ceremony of the new school year, entering the 3rd grade. For Cut Van Lu, returning to school was a miracle and a long process of trying to overcome his illness.
Because exactly 1 year ago, in September 2021, when his friends of the same age entered the new school year, little Lu was hugging his aching leg and crying in the corner of the house. Luckily, the Faith Volunteer Group sponsored 40 million VND, Lu spent nearly 1 year being treated in Vinh city, and was discharged from the hospital to return home, just in time to prepare for the new school year. During his days in the hospital, despite undergoing many surgeries, Cut Van Lu still always wished to recover soon so he could go back to school.
At the end of August 2022, in the rather hot sun of Vinh city, in the shady campus of the Traumatology - Orthopedics Hospital, the amputee boy Van Lu happily carried the backpack he had just received and ran back and forth waiting for his mother to complete the discharge procedures. When asked "Does your leg still hurt?", the boy Lu happily replied immediately "My leg doesn't hurt anymore, I want to go back to school". Having said that, he pointed to his calf, which was still wrapped in a protective layer of cloth, and deliberately stepped on the tiled floor to prove that his leg had completely healed.
Ms. Cut Thi Pheng - mother of Cut Van Lu said that on September 4, it rained all day in Ky Son district, and since early morning, Lu had prepared his school bag to go to the opening ceremony tomorrow. The boy was very excited, waiting for the moment to enter the classroom, to sit at the desk after nearly a year away from school. However, on the night of September 4, many villages in Ky Son experienced flash floods and landslides, making it impossible for many schools to hold the opening ceremony, and many students in remote villages could not go to school.
Pha Danh Primary School is the same. Cut Van Lu's house is nearly 10 km away from the school on a mountainous road, but due to heavy rain and landslides, Lu could not go to school to attend the opening ceremony. At 7:30 a.m. on September 5, instead of standing under the national flag with his teachers and friends, singing the national anthem, and listening to the school drum signaling the start of a new school year, Cut Van Lu had to hug his school bag and sit on the steps of the stilt house, silently experiencing the moments of the opening ceremony. Cut Van Lu's opening ceremony for this school year took place in regret in a small, remote village, and the rain continued to pour heavily.
Mr. Nguyen Thien Hieu - Principal of Pha Danh Primary School said that on the morning of September 5, all students from remote villages of Pha Danh commune could not go to school to attend the opening ceremony due to landslides on the roads, including students in Huoi Nhuc village, where Cut Van Lu lives. "In the second grade, Cut Van Lu went to school near his home, so it was quite convenient. As a studious student, when his leg was less painful, or the hospital let him go home, Cut Van Lu took the opportunity to go to class. This year, students in grades 3, 4, and 5 all gathered to study at the main school near Pha Danh Commune People's Committee. Cut Van Lu is in grade 3A, also studying at the main school near National Highway 16" - said Mr. Nguyen Thien Hieu.
Although she could not attend the opening ceremony of the new school year, from early morning on September 6, despite the continued rain, understanding her son's desire, Lu's mother still tried to overcome the nearly 10 km of slippery hills to take her son to school. Ms. Cut Thi Pheng recalled that during the opening season of the previous year, Lu also sat on the steps of the stilt house looking forward to the classroom, but it was a desperate wait because at that time Lu was in pain, holding her leg and crying. Lu's leg was infected, bone necrosis and warped, unable to walk. Before that, the whole family had sold their only cow, the family's source of economic development, to take Cut Van Lu to the hospital for a month of treatment. After being discharged from the hospital, according to the doctor's appointment, Lu was supposed to return for further treatment, but because there was no more money, he had to stay home.
“Lu cried all day and all night because of the pain in his leg. His leg kept oozing pus and swelling, but the family had no money to take him to the hospital, so they lived at home for as long as they could,” said Cut Thi Pheng. Talking about Cut Van Lu’s situation, Secretary of the Pha Danh Commune Youth Union Luong Xuan Tac said that Lu was very studious. On days when his leg hurt so much that he had to take a break, but when the pain subsided, he asked his sister to carry him to school. Feeling sorry for the poor student who loved to study, teachers and officials of Pha Danh Commune also visited and encouraged him, then took pictures and posted them on social media to call for help, hoping that there would be kind-hearted people to support money to help Lu with his treatment.
And information about the difficult circumstances and the desire to go to school of Cut Van Lu was captured by the Faith Volunteer Group in Vinh city, which contacted the local authorities and family to sponsor 30 million VND to help save the life of the studious little boy. On December 12, 2021, Cut Van Lu and his mother took the earliest bus to Vinh at 3:00 p.m. The Faith Volunteer Group was waiting, helping Lu with the admission procedures to the Department of Surgery, Oncology Hospital, and then handing Cut Van Lu's mother 30 million VND. "Lu's mother is illiterate and has never been to Vinh, so she asked the volunteer group to keep the money for her and her mother when needed, to prevent theft" - Vice Chairman of Pha Danh Commune People's Committee called a member of the Faith Volunteer Group to ask. And Ms. Cut Thi Pheng also agreed.
After 1 month of treatment at the Oncology Hospital, Amputee Van Lu was transferred to the Institute of Trauma and Orthopedics. Here, from December 2022 to August 2022, Amputee Van Lu underwent 3 surgeries. The first surgery was to treat the necrosis and cut off the damaged bone. The second surgery, 3 months after the first, was to graft artificial bone and apply a splint. Both surgeries, along with the cost of buying artificial bone for grafting, plus the travel and food expenses of Amputee Van Lu and his mother for half a year, the amount of 30 million VND was gone, but there was still 1 surgery left. Therefore, in early April 2022, the Faith Volunteer Group decided to sponsor an additional 10 million VND for Amputee Van Lu to continue his journey to heal his leg and soon go to school like any other student.
From December 2021 to August 2022, Cut Van Lu and her son regularly went to Vinh city for 10-15 days every month for treatment, then returned home to rest and recuperate, waiting for the next check-up or surgery. Every month, when the mother and son were about to return to the hospital, the first thing Ms. Cut Thi Pheng did when she packed her luggage and left the house to go to Vinh city was to call the representative of the Niem Tin Volunteer Group. Regularly for nearly a year, Cut Van Lu and her son and the members of the volunteer group seemed to be "family", sharing the joy as Lu's illness progressed positively. From being shy and quiet, Lu gradually became happier and smiled more. Happiness lit up in Lu's big round eyes and every joyful gesture every time the volunteer group visited.
On August 22, 2022, Cut Van Lu was discharged from the hospital, ending nearly a year of treatment. His leg went from being necrotic, painful and lying at home waiting to die, thanks to the sponsorship of the Faith Volunteer Group, after 3 surgeries, it has now recovered. At the moment of farewell, Ms. Cut Thi Pheng kept holding the hands of the volunteer group members, saying thank you to the members. "Thanks to the 40 million VND that you guys supported, Cut Van Lu's son's leg was treated, saving his life. I don't know what to say to express my gratitude to you guys" - Ms. Cut Thi Pheng confided.
Being discharged from the hospital after nearly a year of treatment, the life of the young student Cut Van Lu seems to have turned a new page. And the luggage on the next journey of Cut Van Lu from now on will not only have diligence and love of learning, but also more motivation and belief in the love and sharing that he has received from the community.
