Male student who fought thalassemia for 14 years wins full scholarship to British University Vietnam

Find your future

The notice from British University Vietnam was sent to Vi Thanh Nhat just 1 day ago. At that time, Nhat was in the dormitory ofProvincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minoritiesand is trying hard to review for the 2023 high school graduation exam. Receiving the scholarship, Nhat was really surprised and for a minute he was silent, not believing the result.

Nhat is turning 18 this year, but since the age of 4, he has had to live with and fight Thalasemia - a dangerous congenital hemolytic disease. Since the disease was discovered, nearly half of Nhat's time has been spent in the hospital because every month he has to go to the Provincial Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion for blood transfusions and iron chelation treatment. This is also a rare disease, if not treated promptly, it can cause bone deformities, heart failure, arrhythmia, diabetes, cirrhosis... Because Nhat has Thalasemia, Nhat's parents only gave birth to him because they were afraid of inheriting it.

Since the age of 4, Vi Thanh Nhat has had to live with and fight Thalasemia. Photo: My Ha

Nhat's house is in Tan Sang village, Ngoc Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district - a poor village with the majority of Thai ethnic people relocated from Tuong Duong district following the policy of building Ban Ve Hydropower Plant. Due to difficult circumstances and a rare chronic disease, Nhat thought that he would not have the opportunity to go to university. The only way for Nhat to realize his dream was to "hunt" for a full scholarship and he persevered to realize his dream.

Talking about the process of searching for scholarships, Nhat confessed that since grade 10 he started to research universities with preferential policies.scholarshipfor students with difficult circumstances. When I learned that British University Vietnam had a "Lion Heart" scholarship built with the aim of encouraging and motivating students with physical or health disadvantages, or with difficult family circumstances, I cherished it and started looking for opportunities.

During that time, in addition to studying well at school and strictly following the doctor's treatment regimen, Nhat also enthusiastically participated in the school's activities and Youth Union movements. During his 3 years studying at the Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities, with his enthusiasm, diligence, and relentless efforts, Nhat was continuously an excellent student, winning first prize in the school-level Informatics competition and second prize in the Science and Technology competition organized by the school.

Nhat is an active member, participating in many volunteer activities such as the program "Volunteer to organize blood donation Red Journey". Photo: NVCC

This male student also believes in the philosophy that "Every person who comes to this world has a separate mission to make this world better and better through his own contributions." For that reason, despite his health not supporting him, Nhat always tries to participate in social activities such as the program "Volunteer to support exam season", "Volunteer to organize blood donation Red Journey".

Know how to accept reality and change yourself

"This letter is sent from an ethnic minority boy with a serious illness who is always trying to overcome health adversities and educational disadvantages to pursue his dream of seeking knowledge and affirming his own value."

Those were the first lines that Nhat sent to British University Vietnam when he applied for the "Lion Heart" scholarship. In the latter part of his article, the Thai ethnic male student also shared his personal stories, from a sickly student with a serious illness to his desire to go to school.

Nhat also wrote that, in the place where he lives - where studying and education are not focused on, students in the village still follow the old path of only studying to junior high school and then going to work as factory workers and continuing from generation to generation. The hardship, hardship and poverty forced Nhat to make a determination, there is no other way but the path of education to change the thinking, change the life of himself, of the young generations in the village and of his homeland.

Nhat longs to go to school and university to change his life. Photo: My Ha

After sending the application for a while, Nhat received an interview notice from the school while he was being treated at the National Hospital of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Hanoi. At that time, Nhat's illness took a turn for the worse when he showed symptoms of a blood clotting disorder. When he hurriedly caught a bus to the British University Vietnam, Nhat's health was still not stable. In addition to his yellow skin and small stature due to slow body development, when his illness worsened, Nhat often fell into a state of fatigue, dizziness and difficulty breathing.

Talking about the interview process, Nhat shared that he had the opportunity to talk with both foreign and Vietnamese teachers. However, with his English not being really fluent, Nhat was quite nervous when answering questions from teachers. For the answers that required expressing his own thoughts, Nhat used Vietnamese to be able to confidently express himself.

Among the questions posed by the teachers, Nhat also admitted that there were many questions so "macro" that "he did not know how to answer". These were questions such as: "If I were president for a day, what activities would I do to develop the community I am aiming for"; "What is the overall picture of myself in the next 5 years?". To find answers to these questions, Nhat chose answers from his own reality and the problems that he and his students in the highlands face every day.

Difficulties did not make Vi Thanh Nhat falter. Photo: My Ha

Vi Thanh Nhat shared: The community that I want to reach out to and help is the community of people with health problems, people with chronic diseases. Because people with these diseases often think that they are a burden on society and need help.

The second community that I want to care about is the students in mountainous districts, in remote and difficult areas and try to create changes in their thinking and awareness. Because, for a long time, students who are ethnic minorities after finishing secondary school often drop out of school to work or get married.

In his answer, Nhat also shared his dream of working in finance in a multinational company in 5 years and being able to do many useful activities for the community.

As for the question "if I had the superpower to make all my dreams come true, what would I do to change the world?", Nhat shared that he wishes everyone would feel confident about themselves, confident in their values ​​and no one would be disadvantaged in society. When asked "why don't you dream for yourself, for example, health?", Nhat added: I am a rather realistic person and I know that there are wishes that cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, you should not wish for things that cannot be changed, but instead accept reality and change yourself...

Live well to not let down teachers and family

Three years before being admitted to the Provincial Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities, Vi Thanh Nhat was one of the students with the highest admission scores in the school. On the opening day, with excellent exam results, Nhat received a scholarship of 2 million VND.

With a good starting point, teachers never thought that Nhat would have the intention of dropping out of school after only 2 weeks of enrollment. Even though teachers later advised and encouraged him, Nhat still thought that he would leave the Provincial Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, return home, or apply to a high school near his home. At the end of the first semester of grade 10, Nhat finally made his decision. On the day he was sent home for Tet, his friends in class 10A1 and teachers took Nhat to the car. At that time, everyone thought that Nhat would not return to school.

During my time studying at Nhat Province Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities, I received constant care and support from my teachers. Photo: My Ha

Why did Nhat make this decision at that time? Nhat had a very special reason: “It was because the teachers were so good to me, the teachers cared so much about me. Meanwhile, I was sick, I thought that I would not be able to study well and did not want to let my teachers down.”

At the Provincial Boarding Ethnic High School, teacher Nguyen Kieu Hoa - Principal of the school was the one who accompanied Nhat in the first days when he first started school. Knowing about Nhat's illness, she and Nhat and his mother went directly to see the doctor at the Provincial Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center to ask for help during Nhat's studies at school. The teacher also met with the kitchen staff and asked them to take care of Nhat, have a special regimen and nutrition for him.

Right in the first semester of grade 10, through the help of organizations and businesses, the school also gave Nhat a scholarship of 20 million VND to cover his studies and medical treatment.

Speaking more about Nhat, teacher Kieu Hoa said: Nhat is a student with special circumstances, so during his time studying at school, Nhat always received attention and help. When I learned that Nhat decided to drop out of school, I was very sad but always encouraged him and told him that "the boarding school always opens its arms to welcome Nhat back".

The memory of dropping out of school is also the most memorable memory of Nhat in 3 years of studying at the Provincial Boarding Ethnic High School. However, in reality, Nhat only missed 1 week of school and attended another high school in his home district for 2 sessions before deciding to return to the Provincial Boarding Ethnic High School. Later, understanding the heart of the principal, homeroom teacher, teachers, and friends, Nhat always told himself to try to study well and work hard so as not to let everyone down.

Japan's success has brought new inspiration to ethnic minority students in remote, isolated and disadvantaged areas. Photo: My Ha

That is also the reason why, during his high school years, although Nhat spent about 10 days in the hospital every month, Nhat always trained himself to be self-studying, asking his friends to copy the lessons he did not understand, asking his teachers to explain them again and supplementing his knowledge. Nhat participated in competitions for excellent students, science and technology competitions, enthusiastically participated in Youth Union movements, and volunteer activities because he did not want to be a special student but wanted to live like a normal person - with responsibility.

This May, along with the "Lion Heart" scholarship, Nhat is also an excellent student, a "red seed" of the school being nurtured to become a young party member. Congratulations to Vi Thanh Nhat and I hope that the burning dreams of this little boy will come true./.