Examples of perseverance

(Baonghean) - Around us, there are many unfortunate fates. But with love for life, with extraordinary determination, they have overcome their circumstances, risen up to live a good and useful life, to see that "life is as beautiful as flowers"...

Support for children

In 1984, Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh (a parishioner in Nghi Kim commune, Nghi Loc) married Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thuyen, a man from the same commune. Four children were born one after another. Poverty always haunted the large family with little money. The couple only knew how to work hard to earn money to pay for their children's education.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh accompanies her child to school.

Sadness began to descend upon the small house when their fifth child was born with an abnormal appearance. Instead of anticipation and excitement, there was sadness and worry. The more they loved their child, the harder they worked to make sure their child had enough food and clothing.

In 2007, understanding the couple's situation, Phan Thon Parish (Nghi Kim Commune) lent the family a tractor, creating conditions for them to earn extra income to raise their children. But, sadly, while transporting goods for a customer, he had an accident and passed away. She seemed unable to recover because of the great pain. In her mind, she was tormented, wondering if she would be able to provide meals and clothes for her children alone?

But in that extreme situation, the love for her children arose to help her overcome her circumstances. With the determination to ensure that her children could study properly and have a brighter future, she worked hard to collect from 5.5 sao of rice, crops, vegetables, chickens, ducks, cows, etc. Every day, she woke up at 3 am to pick vegetables to bring to Vinh market to sell wholesale, then returned home to prepare breakfast for her children before they went to school. Feeling sorry for her children who did not receive the full love of both father and mother, she could only try her best to make up for it.

Understanding the family's situation and feeling sorry for their mother's hard work, her children obeyed their mother and studied hard. In addition to class time, they also helped their mother with farming and housework. Currently, her third child is studying at university, her fourth child is studying a trade in Hue. The fifth child, who is disabled and cannot help with housework, is a very good student. Every day, she replaces her mother to help her youngest sibling, who is in grade 4, review her lessons. And it is that disabled child who has given her the will to live. She said: "I love her so much, I have never seen her cry. She was born without arms like her friends, but in order to nurture her dream of going to school, when she was 5 years old, she practiced writing each stroke with her feet. She is always confident and tries hard in her studies. She is an example of the will to live that helps me overcome my circumstances."

Sympathizing with her family's difficult circumstances, relatives contributed cement, bricks, and labor to build her and her children a house that would be less hot in the summer and less leaky in the rain.

With a grateful look, she confided: “Being able to overcome difficulties to become what we are today is partly thanks to the attention of the government and organizations with practical policies for disadvantaged households. My third child was able to go to university with a student loan; my fifth child has had his contributions reduced since he started third grade, so my family has less hardship.”

The storms of life cannot defeat her, because she still has her children, the responsibility of being a mother, and the role of a father. She always tries her best to become a solid support for her children...

Paper Crane Belief

We went to hamlet 4, Quynh Hong commune, Quynh Luu district to meet Dang Thi Thanh Thao.8B class students, Quynh Hong Secondary School, on the occasion of the new school year (2014 - 2015).

I am Dang Thi Thanh Thao.

Thao and her family live in a two-room, old house that is gradually deteriorating. Inside the house, in addition to simple furniture, the thing that attracts everyone's attention is Thao's certificates of merit. For the past 7 years, she has always achieved the title of "Excellent All-round Student". With a total score of 8.4 for the 2013-2014 school year, Thao was commended by the Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district for her achievements in overcoming difficulties, being a good student, and being a good student.

Flipping through Thao's notebooks, looking at the neat, even handwriting and the bright red 10s, we couldn't help but admire the little student's determination to overcome difficulties. This year, having turned 13, Thao looks like a girl who is only 7 or 8 years old. She is small, with skinny limbs and thin. "She eats very little, usually only one bowl of rice per meal, many times her mother has to feed her. Even personal hygiene, sometimes she can't do it herself," said Tran Thi Thoa, Thao's mother.

When Thao was just one month old, a red mark appeared right next to her eye like an ant bite, not long after, the red mark spread all over her body. Because they could not afford to take her to the doctor, her parents went to find whatever kind of leaves anyone told them about and boiled them for her to drink. But the more they drank, the worse her illness became. After that, Thao's parents decided to take her to the District General Hospital, then to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for treatment, but her illness did not improve at all.

“It wasn’t until Thao turned 7 that her family was able to take her to the National Children’s Hospital for a check-up. The doctor said she had polyarthritis and would need long-term treatment,” said Dang Van Binh, Thao’s father.

Every time the weather changes, Thao's joints in her arms and legs swell, become red and painful, making her unable to walk. For more than 7 years, Thao's mother has been busy taking her to school twice a day. Many times Thao felt sad because her friends and juniors teased her. Many times Thao had to cry because of the pain. But at those times, her mother was there to massage, encourage and comfort her...

Now Ms. Thoa is more assured, because her obedient, studious daughter is loved by her teachers and friends. Her classmates often take turns taking Thao home on days when her parents are busy and cannot pick her up. Thao confided that she likes Math the most, because this subject requires a lot of thinking and reasoning, and finding an answer is a joy. Last school year, her Math score was 9.1. In her free time, she draws pictures by herself, which helps her to ease her constant pain. Thao has been diligently folding more than 1,000 paper cranes for the past 3 years. She carefully stores them in a glass jar, believing that if she can fold 2,000 paper cranes, her illness will be cured!

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, her homeroom teacher in the 2013-2014 school year, commented: “Thanh Thao is a student whose family circumstances are very difficult, and her health is poor due to her illness. However, Thao is very obedient, polite, always gets along with her friends, has a high team spirit, and is loved by her teachers and friends. With her determination to overcome difficulties, she is a worthy example for her friends to follow!”

The little student Dang Thi Thanh Thao always nurtures the dream of becoming a doctor to help many sick people. If only a miracle would happen, so that her dream would come true?!

Le Hoa - Nguyen Hoe