Tears of an old mother who raised her child in a crib for more than 10 years

(Baonghean.vn) - For more than 10 years now, despite the heartache, Ms. Luong Thi ThuongVinh Kim village, Hoa Son commune (Anh Son district)still have to lock mentally ill child in a cage to protect both child and people around.

For more than 10 years, Ms. Luong Thi Thuong in Vinh Kim village, Hoa Son commune (Anh Son) has had to build a cage to lock up her mentally ill son. Photo: Huyen Trang

The first thing that caught her eye when she entered Mrs. Thuong's house was the cage that had locked her mentally ill son in for more than 10 years in a corner of the garden.

In the small shabby houseWith nothing of value, Mrs. Thuong was struggling to cook lunch for her sick son.

Mrs. Thuong shared: after getting married, she gave birth to 8 children, 6 boys, 2 girls, but her fate was difficult to raise them. The eldest child got sick and passed away, and the youngest child, Luong Van Quy, suffered from a serious mental illness. The family life was hard and miserable, but she and her husband still tried to raise their children, and then married off 6 of them. Some lived nearby, some lived far away, but all of them struggled to make a living and could not help their parents any more.

She thought that when her children grew up, the two of them could rely on each other to take care of their sick child. But last year, her husband also suffered a stroke and passed away, leaving her alone to struggle to raise and care for her mentally ill child who screamed all day in a crib.

Mrs. Thuong sighed and bitterly said: "In 1989, I gave birth to Quy. He was healthy and normal like any other child. Quy was smart and quick, and studied well. Besides going to school, he also stayed home to herd buffalo and cut grass to help his parents. Then in 2004, disaster struck. Quy had a bad fever, and a few months later he became insane. The poor family had no money for treatment, so his illness became even worse."

As a last resort, the poor mother had to lock Mr. Quy in a cage to protect both her child and everyone else. Photo: Huyen Trang.

During his fits, Quy screamed, broke everything in the house, ran out into the street, and chased and beat his parents and everyone around him. Heartbroken but not allowing Quy to harm anyone, Mrs. Thuong had to ask someone to build a cage to lock her son in.

While Mrs. Thuong was sitting and talking to us, Quy would occasionally scream very frighteningly. Although we had prepared ourselves mentally, when we heard those sounds, we still couldn't help but be startled. Mrs. Thuong reassured us: "He's having another fit, guys."

She continued: "For more than 10 years now, seeing my crazy child locked in a "cage" in the corner of the garden, my heart feels like it's being torn into pieces. I've become a cruel mother, but if I let him out, he'll hurt everyone. There's not a night when he doesn't curse, scream, and cry. Sometimes he sings all the time, then demands to go out, making many neighbors unable to sleep. In the cage, Quy doesn't wear clothes, because every time he's brought in, Quy tears them all up. But when he calms down, he's very pitiful. He's only 27 years old. Quy can sing, and he sings well, and he even remembers the people who occasionally come to visit... but when he gets angry, no one can control him."

It was painful and heartbreaking to have to lock her child in a cage, but Mrs. Thuong could do nothing else. Photo: Huyen Trang

Looking at the crib where her child was lying, the old mother's tears flowed down. This year, Mrs. Thuong is over 70 years old, and is too old to work. Occasionally, her children, neighbors, and neighbors give her rice to cook, and she mainly relies on the state's support from the poor household system. She worries that when she dies, there will be no one to take care of her mentally ill child.

Talking about this difficult situation, Mr. Nguyen Van Long - Vice Chairman of Hoa Son Commune People's Committee (Anh Son District) shared: "This is a particularly difficult family, in a very difficult situation, while relatives and siblings do not have the conditions to help. Over the years, the local government has also paid great attention to the family, mobilized organizations and unions, but only to a limited extent."

Huyen Trang