The pitiful situation of a 7th grade boy taking care of his mentally ill father

Being present at Trong's house in hamlet 4, Nam Anh commune when the sun was at its zenith, witnessing the scene of father and son giving each other food and water through the window, I felt even more sorry for his family situation.

Inside the window, Nguyen Van Hung (45 years old) with a thin body, a haggard face, and eyes that were blank and emotionless. It seemed that he did not recognize his youngest son who was bringing him food. After taking the food, he opened it and ate it hastily, then threw the things into a corner of the house.

Inside the house, everything was messy and cluttered, and the music from the music player was blaring loudly. Trong said: "Because my dad wasmental illness, often wandering around, so the family had to lock him in the house to take care of him. Every day, he only knew how to play music, sometimes playing it all night, making the people around him unable to sleep.

The two-room house where Trong's family lives. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Hung’s son, his family used to do business in Dak Lak province. Although both husband and wife were hard-working and diligent, life was always full of risks and difficulties. First, the eldest son died of a serious illness.

In 2015, when his wife, Nguyen Thi Nga, became seriously ill and their financial situation became dire, the whole family had to return to their hometown. His wife passed away that year, leaving him and his two young children (the youngest son was only 7 years old).

Feeling sorry for the orphaned father and son, the maternal family gave the two-room house to the father and son to live in. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sau (66 years old), Hung's mother-in-law, said: "My family built this house for our son to live in, but he went to the South to work far away, so we gave it to Hung and his father."

Every day, Mr. Hung often followed the people in the neighborhood to work as a construction worker to earn money to make a living. He thought that life was already miserable, but unexpectedly, disaster continued to befall his family.

Because Mr. Hung often wanders around, his relatives have to lock him in the house for safety. Photo: Huy Thu

In early 2020, Mr. Hung showed unusual symptoms and was mentally unstable. Around April last year, he left home and wandered around, once going all the way to Thanh Nho commune (Thanh Chuong), nearly 50 km away from home, and his relatives had to find him and bring him back.

To limit his movements, his family thought of locking him in the house to take care of him. From then on, day and night, he just wandered around the two-room house, lying down, sitting, and screaming. Every time someone opened the door, he just wanted to rush out into the yard to run. He quickly grabbed the snake bags containing his belongings, and muttered, “walking on the fields.”

Every day, his biological mother in Hamlet 6 or his son would bring him food and water through the window. Occasionally, relatives would open the door to clean, wash, and bathe him.

Trong and his father often hand over food and drinks through the window. Photo: Huy Thu

Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau added that Mr. Hung's father, Mr. Nguyen Van Tan (born in 1940), was a veteran of the anti-American war. He was affected by Agent Orange and also suffered from mental illness before he passed away. Whether Mr. Hung suffered from the after-effects of Agent Orange or not is a concern for many people in his family.

Pitying her son-in-law who is seriously ill and her grandchild who has lost his mother, over the years, Mrs. Sau has taken care of her two grandchildren on behalf of her daughter. Trong's older brother, who is "short and light", had to drop out of school early, while Trong has finished grade 7E at Anh Xuan Secondary School.

Every day after school, he returns home with his paternal and maternal grandmothers to take care of his father. Hung's mother has also brought him back to Hamlet 6 to take care of him several times. However, both his paternal and maternal grandmothers are in poor health, so the main responsibility for taking care of his father is still looking after Trong.

Nguyen Van Trong shared: “My mother died after a drug overdose. My father also has a mental illness. My family is so unfortunate.”

Every time an acquaintance opens the door, Mr. Hung wants to pack his things and leave. Photo: Huy Thu

It has been more than a year since he fell ill. Due to family circumstances, Mr. Hung has not been taken to the hospital by his relatives.examination and treatment. It seems that his illness is getting worse, while the children are not old enough to take care of their father.

His son's greatest concern and desire right now is to take his father to the hospital. Trong did not hide his sadness: "We have talked to grandma about taking dad to the hospital since last year, we have discussed it over and over again, but due to difficulties, our family has not been able to take dad to the hospital yet."

Nguyen Van Trong. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Tran Van Quyet - Secretary of the Youth Union of Nam Anh commune said: "The family situation of Nguyen Van Trong is one of the most difficult and unfortunate in the commune. To share with him, the local Youth Union has launched a donation movement, calling on agencies, units, benefactors, youth union members, young pioneers, and philanthropists inside and outside the commune to help."

More than ever, Trong's family is in dire need of the community's support. Every heart is a source of encouragement and sharing that is extremely necessary for him.

Please send any help to:

* Nguyen Van Trong, Hamlet 4, Nam Anh Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province.

* Distribution - Advertising and Social Activities Department, Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3, Le Nin Avenue, Vinh City, Nghe An. Tel: 02388.600.006