Male student with cataract takes care of blind mother with brain tumor

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam (32 years old) is the youngest in a family of 3 siblings. When she was born, she had an eye disease. From having blurred vision, her eyes gradually became blind and bulged out. At that time, Ms. Duong Thi Lien - her mother, struggled to raise 3 children alone, earning a living every day was already difficult, let alone taking her children to the hospital for treatment.

Seeing my child's illness getting worse, I heard someone's advice.herbal medicineWherever she could find a cure for her daughter, she went there. However, taking medicine for a long time did not help her daughter's illness, but instead became more and more serious.

Nguyen Cong Vinh is taking care of his mother in the hospital bed. Photo: Huy Thu

In 2003, due to Ms. Tam's serious illness, in the conditionshard, relatives near and far helped her take her daughter to the hospital. During this treatment, Ms. Tam was forced to remove her right eye. The white left eye gradually invaded and became more and more closed, difficult to open, causing her face to become deformed. Ms. Lien shared: "I love my daughter, but I am helpless. That day, the doctor said that Tam had congenital glaucoma, due to not being treated in time, it had complications."

Understanding her own suffering and that of her mother, Ms. Tam tried very hard in her treatment, hoping to recover soon. When her eyes were stable, she continued to attend an "integration class" for the blind in Vinh City, hoping to find a suitable job to support herself. During her studies, she fell in love with a boyfriend in the same situation. Although they could not be together, they had a son together. Nguyen Cong Vinh (born in 2006) was born in that situation.

Despite having his lenses replaced, Vinh's eyesight is very weak. Without glasses, he has difficulty seeing. Photo: Huy Thu

Poor thing, like Tam when she was young, she had eye disease early. At only 2-3 years old, her eyes gradually became dim due to cataracts.lens, unable to see. When Vinh was 4 years old, with the help of relatives, he was taken to the provincial hospital to have the lenses of both eyes replaced.

After treatment, the child's eyesight returned, but his vision was not as good as that of a normal person. "The doctor said that the lens that was replaced for the child would only last for about 20 years, and after that it would be difficult to replace it again," Ms. Lien said worriedly.

Vinh is currently studying in class 9C, Quang Thanh Secondary School. From kindergarten to grade 9, he was constantly taken to and from school by his grandmother. At the beginning of this second semester, thanks to the help of his siblings and benefactors, Vinh had an electric bike to go to school by himself. Vinh is small and thin, but diligent, doing a lot of housework to help his grandmother and mother, especially taking care of his mother when she is seriously ill. "I like cooking. In the future, I dream of becoming a good chef" - Vinh shared.

Vinh's certificate of eye disability. Photo: Huy Thu

Before Tet, Vinh's eye disease got worse, making it difficult to see. When he went to the eye hospital, the doctor said his vision was very weak, one eye was only 1/10, the other 0.5/10. Vinh was prescribed prescription glasses, but he only wore them when reading or studying.

Despite his illness, Vinh still likes to go to school. He confided: “If I pass the 10th grade exam, I still want to go to school like my friends.” Teacher Vu Thi Thuy, homeroom teacher of class 9C, Quang Thanh Secondary School, said: “In class, Vinh is a good student and tries hard. However, due to his poor health, his studies are greatly affected. Vinh is the “integrated student” with the most pitiful circumstances in the class.”

Vinh dreams of becoming a good chef in the future. Photo: Huy Thu

Over the years, Vinh and her mother lived in a dilapidated house next to their grandmother’s house, then moved back in with her. Despite being blind, Tam still worked hard to find extra work to support her children. Unfortunately, once again, disaster struck her.

Not long ago, feeling abnormal and having constant headaches, she asked her mother to take her to the doctor. Mrs. Lien said in tears: "The doctor concluded that Tam had a brain tumor. Currently, the family's financial situation is too difficult, there is no money for surgery, so they only take medicine to treat her. Everyone also helped with the medicine. Maybe Tam won't live much longer, but her child is still young. I feel sorry for her mother, and I feel sorry for her child ten times more."

Mrs. Duong Thi Lien talked about the situation of her daughter and grandchild with tears in her eyes. Photo: Huy Thu

It was thought that a blind single mother raising a child with cataracts was already hard enough, but unexpectedly she was also diagnosed with another terrible disease. Suffering and despair seemed to pile up even more in a family that already had too much misfortune.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhu, the head of Ngoc Lien hamlet, Kim Thanh commune, said: Ms. Tam's family has been poor for many years, one of the most difficult households in the hamlet. Already blind, she now has another serious illness. Her child's eyesight is already poor, now she has to take care of her blind mother, making everyone in the hamlet feel sorry for her.

Please send any help to: Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam, Ngoc Lien hamlet, Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province. Phone number: 0988.411.768. Account number 104872800597, Viettinbank, Yen Thanh branch.

Or Publishing Department - Social Affairs - Nghe An Newspaper

No. 3, Lenin Avenue, Vinh City, Nghe An; Tel: 02383.686.585