The difficult situation of an old couple in Nghe An raising two mentally ill and disabled children

At Mr. Trong's family in hamlet 6, Nam Linh commune, the thing that everyone noticed most was the large iron cage placed in the middle of the yard. In the cage, a man with a lifeless face was trying to take the cage apart to get out. That was Mr. Hoang Dinh Hoa (41 years old) - the second child of Mr. Trong and his wife who was sick.mentalfor 6 years now.

Mrs. Phan Thi Nuoi (69 years old) - Mr. Trong's wife said: She and her husband have 6 children (2 boys, 4 girls). It was thought that in the family, only the youngest daughter, Hoang Thi Hang (born in 1990), had Down syndrome, which was already difficult, but unexpectedly, Mr. Hoa also had a mental illness, making her family's life miserable. It was even more difficult when the two grandparents were approaching 70 years old, having to work every day to take care of 2 seriously ill children.

Mr. Hoang Dinh Hoa sitting in an iron cage. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mrs. Nuoi, ​​Mr. Hoa used to be a healthy, hard-working, diligent young man who worked in the South. After getting married and living separately in Nam Xuan commune, he and his wife had two children. In addition to farming, he worked as a construction worker every day to earn a living. Around mid-2015, he suddenly developed a mental illness, broke things, and left home to wander. Unable to bear her husband's madness, his wife took their children to the South to live.

Not wanting to leave their crazy son alone, Mrs. Nuoi and her husband took Hoa to live with them to take care of him. “During his “fits,” Hoa often talked nonsense, wandered around, and threatened to hit and slash anyone he met. One day, when he returned to Nam Xuan commune, he vandalized a household’s house and was beaten back, leaving a bloody mess. The district police had to come down to deal with it,” Mrs. Nuoi said in tears.

The youngest daughter, Hoang Thi Hang, has Down syndrome. Photo: Huy Thu

To keep his sick son, Mr. Trong had to buy a chain to chain him to a pole in front of the house. Since having the chain, Mr. Hoa could only move around the base of the pole, sometimes trying to break free but could not. Seeing that chaining his son to the pole was not beneficial, Mr. Trong chained him to two mahogany trees in front of the yard. Because the chain was too tight for a long time, Mr. Hoa's hands and feet became swollen, so he had to buy medicine to treat him.

Thinking that he could not chain his son for a long time, Mr. Trong had to resort to locking him in an iron cage. With the help of a nephew, the iron cage measuring 2m high, 0.8m wide, and 2.5m long was completed at the end of 2020. For more than 6 months, Mr. Hoa has been attached to this cage. "When he first put him in the iron cage, Hoa destroyed it a lot. All the wooden boards that were put underneath were broken and thrown out," Ms. Nuoi shared.

All activities of the two sick children are taken care of by Mrs. Nuoi and her husband. Photo: Huy Thu

The youngest child, Hoang Thi Hang, was born with symptoms of Down syndrome. For the past 31 years, the poor daughter of the couple has “lived in the house like a shadow”, absent-minded and foolish. All her daily activities such as eating, drinking, hygiene… are taken care of by the couple.

Normally it was fine, but when she had an attack, Hang screamed, scratched her head, pulled her hair, and scratched those around her. At times, the old mother thought she could not stand it anymore. Mrs. Nuoi said in pain: "If God made her sick, we have to endure it. My husband and I don't know who to call. Our children are also struggling and can't help much. We just hope to have the health to take care of our two sick children."

On the days Mr. Hoa went to the hospital, the iron cage was left empty in the corner of the yard. Photo: Huy Thu

Up to now, Mr. Hoa has been taken away by Mr. Trong's family.hospital11 times. Each time he returned from the hospital, his condition improved, but not long after, everything returned to normal. In recent days, despite the busy harvest season, because Mr. Hoa had a severe "attack", Mr. Trong had to take his son to Nghe An Mental Hospital. Mrs. Nuoi stayed home to take care of her daughter and harvest the crops.

Sympathizing with the elderly couple raising two disabled children, the neighbors called a rice harvester to transport rice to their home to help the family. Ms. Nguyen Thi Quyen - a resident of Hamlet 6 shared: "Everyone in the hamlet loves Mr. Trong's family, and is willing to help in any way they can."

Over the years, Mrs. Nuoi has cried her eyes out for her child. Photo: Huy Thu

The more I feel sorry for the two sick children, the more I feel sorry for the couple. They are old and weak, while the children's illnesses do not improve.

Talking about Mr. Trong's family, Mr. Luu Duc Truong - Secretary of the Youth Union of Nam Linh commune said: "Mr. Hoang Dinh Trong's family is in the most difficult and unfortunate situation in the commune. The elderly couple has to take care of two seriously ill people. More than ever, the family needs the joint help of organizations, individuals and the social community.

Any help please send to: Mr. Hoang Dinh Trong, Hamlet 6, Nam Linh Commune, Nam Dan District, Nghe An Province. Phone: 0398.659.178. Account Number: 3609205390293. Agribank Nam Dan Branch.