Anemic Girl's Drawing of Hope

(Baonghean) - An illness at the age of 2 made Nguyen Thi Nhat Le increasingly stunted, the doctor diagnosed her with anemia. At 16 years old, her body was thin and weak, but she never gave up her dreams..

In Son Ha village, Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong), there is a small house located in a remote and isolated area from the village. The owners are Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh and Mrs. Phan Thi Thom. The walls are made of mixed wood planks, covered with bright paintings. "The girl Nhat Le painted it. She is not in good health, but she is smart and very skillful!" - Mr. Dinh explained.

The house of Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh and his wife (parents of Nguyen Thi Nhat Le). Photo: Cong Kien.

At that moment, Nhat Le came home from school, she was very thin and pale, her height was too modest for a 16 year old girl. Her house was more than 5km from school, climbing several slopes, she did not have enough strength to go to class alone. For many years, her older sister Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly had taken her to school on an old bicycle.

Nguyen Thi Nhat Le in her study corner. Photo: Ho Phuong.

For the past few years, once a month, Nhat Le has to go to the Hematology Hospital for a health check-up, treatment and blood transfusion. Each trip takes about a week, greatly affecting her studies. Teacher Phan Thi Hai - Head teacher of class 10A4 said: "Having to go to Vinh for treatment regularly, Nhat Le always tries to follow the program, not to fall behind, is an example of the spirit of overcoming difficulties and rising up".

Fate did not give her a healthy body, but in return she has skillful hands. In her free time, Nhat Le often spends time drawing, it has become a passion that she does not remember when it started. Her paintings have quite diverse themes, including mountain and forest landscapes and fields; a river flowing slowly, a distant shore; and a school filled with bustling footsteps.

A painting by Nguyen Thi Nhat Le. Photo: Ho Phuong.

But it seems that Nhat Le has devoted a lot of effort to paintings of young girls, there are dozens of paintings on this topic. Young girl next to a peach blossom branch, young girl in front of a flower field, young girl with long hair, then young girl going to school... In particular, there is a painting "Tuoi Ngoc" depicting a girl in traditional Thai ethnic costume with long hair, her figure exuding a love of life and full of vitality.

Nhat Le shared: “When drawing pictures of young girls, I want to convey my own wishes for physical fitness, health and happiness”. Not only is she a beautiful painter, she is also talented in knitting. Starting from learning to knit online, she has now mastered knitting from scarves, shirts to hats and socks. Everyone compliments her on her beautiful knitting and her creativity in color combinations.

When asked about her future dreams, Nhat Le confided: "I hope that after graduating from high school, I will be able to study Fine Arts so that I can find a suitable job and help my parents when they are old and weak."

Cong Kien - Ho Phuong