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 grade 3. For Cut Van Lu, returning to school was a miracle and a long process of trying to overcome 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 Trauma - Orthopedic Hospital, the boy with amputated leg Van Lu happily carried the backpack he had just received as a gift, running back and forth waiting for his mother to complete the discharge procedures. When asked, "Does your leg still hurt?", the boy Lu happily replied, "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 tile 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. 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.
The same goes for Pha Danh Primary School. Cut Van Lu's house is nearly 10 km away from the school on a mountainous road. 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, quietly experiencing the opening ceremony. This school year's opening ceremony for Cut Van Lu took place in a small, remote village, and it continued to rain 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 because of 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 from 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 class 3A, also studying semi-boarding 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 last year's opening season, 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, hugging 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 should have returned 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 getting more and more swollen, but the family had no money to take him to the hospital, so they had to stay home and live day by day,” said Cut Thi Pheng. Talking about Cut Van Lu’s situation, Luong Xuan Tac, Secretary of the Pha Danh Commune Youth Union, said that Lu was very studious. On days when his leg hurt so much that he had to take a day off, but when the pain eased, he asked his sister to carry him to school. Pitying 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 financial support 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, 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 arrive in Vinh at 3 pm. The uncles and aunts of the Faith Volunteer Group were waiting, helped Lu with the admission procedures to the Department of Surgery, Oncology Hospital, and then personally handed 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 the People's Committee of Pha Danh commune called a member of the Faith Volunteer Group. 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 the damaged bone. The second surgery, 3 months after the first, was to graft artificial bone and fix the 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 be able to 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, each time the mother and son prepared to return to the hospital, the first thing Ms. Cut Thi Pheng did when she packed her luggage to leave the house to go to Vinh city was to call the representative of the Faith Volunteer Group. 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 more and more positively. From being shy and quiet, little Lu gradually became happier and smiled more. Happiness lit up 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, which had been necrotic and painful, had been lying at home waiting to die. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Faith Volunteer Group, after three surgeries, has now recovered. At the moment of farewell, Cut Thi Pheng held the hands of the volunteer group members and expressed her gratitude to them. "Thanks to the 40 million VND you guys donated, 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" - 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.
