The pitiful situation of an 8th grade boy taking care of his paralyzed grandmother

We arrived at Hieu's house in Hop Thanh hamlet, Nam Thanh commune late one afternoon. At that time, Hieu was busy boiling vegetables in the kitchen to prepare for dinner. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhu (85 years old), Hieu's maternal grandmother, said: she gave birth to 2 daughters, Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh (Hieu's mother) was the first child. When she was young, Ms. Minh went to the South to work, after a while she brought her child back to her maternal grandmother, that year Hieu was only 3 months old.

After 6 years of staying home to raise her children, she did whatever job anyone hired her to do. When Hieu was in first grade, someone in the area invited her to go to work.VinhTo do business, Hieu's mother left home and her child. "No one knows where Hieu's mother went. She has been missing for the past few years, without any contact with home," Mrs. Nhu said sadly.

The house where Hieu and his grandmother live is in the middle of the neighborhood. Photo: Huy Thu

Born without the love of a father, and mother left, from a young age she became the support of her grandmother. Mrs. Nhu isdisabled, both hands are cramped, unable to grasp, and has epilepsy, poor health, and frequent seizures. For more than 10 years now, she has also suffered from polio, unable to walk. Every day, she can only sit or lie in one place on the bed next to the kitchen.

There are two grandmothers and grandchildren in the house. The grandmother is seriously ill, so Hieu has to worry about everything from going to the market, cooking, cleaning, taking care of her... Mrs. Nhu shared: "I am sick like this, I can't help my grandson and am a burden, I feel so sorry for Hieu."

Hieu and his disabled, paralyzed grandmother. Photo: Huy Thu

Every day, after each class, when he comes home, Hieu starts doing housework, picking vegetables, cooking, bathing, washing clothes for his grandmother... doing everything like an adult. At mealtimes, because his grandmother cannot hold anything, Hieu has to sit next to her and feed her spoonfuls of rice and soup.

For the past 7 years, I have taken care of my grandmother with the love and respect of a filial grandchild. For Hieu, the hardest thing is when she has a seizure in the middle of the night, I have to handle it myself, trying to keep her from falling off the bed, many times I just cry. Hieu shared: “My mother left home, no one knows her whereabouts. There are only 2 of us in the house, when my grandmother is sick, I have to take care of her.”

Despite his difficult family circumstances, Hieu still studies hard. Photo: Huy Thu

It is known that the two-room house where Hieu and his grandmother live was built by Mrs. Nhu and her brothers out of compassion. Over the years, the small house, which was only big enough to accommodate Hieu’s two beds and a desk, had deteriorated and sometimes leaked due to rain and sun, so everyone joined together to repair it.

SituationHieu's family is the most special in the neighborhood, a long-time poor household in Hop Thanh neighborhood. Nguyen Thi Linh (17 years old), who calls Mrs. Nhung her aunt, said: "Since Hieu's mother left, Hieu and his grandmother have relied on each other to survive. Thinking about Hieu's situation, having to take care of his sick grandmother at a young age, taking care of all the housework..., everyone in the neighborhood sympathizes with him."

His family's conditions were difficult, he had to work from an early age to support himself and his grandmother, but Hieu still studied hard. The simple wooden table placed outside the small house was where Hieu sat to study every night.

Since the age of 6, Hieu has been the support of his grandmother. Photo: Huy Thu

In the past, Hieu went to school on a dilapidated bicycle, sometimes the chain fell off, sometimes the tire was punctured. Last year, thanks to the attention of local departments and organizations, Hieu got a new bicycle, so going to school was less difficult. From grade 1 to grade 7, Hieu was awarded the title of excellent student for many semesters. Hieu said: I like sports and always try to study hard to not disappoint the expectations and help of teachers and everyone.

Talking about Hieu's situation, Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh - homeroom teacher of class 8B, Nam Thanh Secondary School said: "Hieu's family has the most special situation in the class, in the school. Hieu himself is an active and optimistic student. Knowing Hieu's situation, over the past time, the school, class as well as the locality have all cared and created conditions to help him. With Hieu's situation, we hope to receive sharing from philanthropists and the community.

Please send any help to:

I am Nguyen Trung Hieu, class 8B, Nam Thanh Secondary School, Yen Thanh District, Nghe An Province.

Or Publishing - Social Department, Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3 - Le Nin Avenue - Vinh City. Phone: 02383.686.585