Old couple raising child with cerebral palsy

(Baonghean) -At the age when they should be resting and enjoying their old age, the couple still have to take care of their disabled child day and night. That is the situation of the family of Mr. Nguyen The Thoi (63 years old) and Mrs. Phan Thi Lan (68 years old) in Dong Phu hamlet, Hau Thanh commune (Yen Thanh - Nghe An).

They had two children together, the eldest daughter Nguyen Thi Thao, born in 1975, was born to the great joy of both the paternal and maternal families. The couple was happy when the birth of their child made their life more meaningful, especially dispelling the inferiority complex about poverty in this rural area. In 1977, the second child Nguyen The Thang was born, healthy and chubby, looking even more adorable. With both boys and girls, it was hard to express the joy of the grandparents even though at that time the family was among the poorest in this commune.

But no matter how much they raised Thang, he was still just a child, unable to walk or talk, and his body was getting thinner and thinner. As if sensing something was wrong, his grandparents tried to get medicine for their son, but his illness did not improve but became more and more serious.

Mr. Thoi said: “I don’t know why my life is so miserable. My parents have suffered a lot. I thought my husband and I worked hard to have the means to take care of and treat our son, but who would have thought that our son would turn out like this…”

In this dilapidated house, the rice cooker was the most valuable thing for the family. The sun was blazing hot, but the grandparents did not even have a fan, only some dried areca leaves to fan themselves. Looking at the silly son lying on the bamboo bed, sweating profusely, his body was only skin and bones, and his mumbling sounds were truly pitiful.

Mr. Phan Van Dan, Head of Dong Phu Hamlet, said: "Mr. and Mrs. Thoi's family situation is really difficult. Although the local government and neighbors occasionally come to help them, unfortunately in this rural area, the neighbors are not well off."

Saying goodbye to my grandparents, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for their family situation. In the old mother’s deep eyes, tears welled up from a life of motherhood that could not bring good luck to her little child – the pain of an old mother watching her child struggle with the pain of illness every day. This poor family really needs the help of kind-hearted people.

Duc Chung