An elderly mother, nearly 80 years old, is raising her mentally ill son and orphaned grandchild.

(Baonghean.vn) - At nearly 80 years old, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong, residing in Block 16, Mai Hung Ward (Hoang Mai town), still meticulously tends to her vegetables every day to earn money to support her mentally ill son and her granddaughter, who lost her mother at birth.

We visited Mrs. Luong's family one afternoon. Their small house, located far from the residential area, was old and dilapidated. Mr. Tran Dang Chung (born in 1976), Mrs. Luong's son, sat listlessly on the doorstep, his eyes vacant, staring into the distance. There was nothing of value in the house except for an old set of furniture from a bygone era.

At nearly 80 years old, Mrs. Luong still meticulously tends to each vegetable stalk to sell at the market to earn money to support her mentally ill son and her orphaned grandchild.

Mrs. Luong gave birth to five children, Chung being the youngest son. Her husband passed away early, leaving her to single-handedly raise her children. Tragedy struck her family repeatedly when her eldest daughter and second son suddenly developed mental illness and passed away.

It seemed as though the misfortunes ended there, but in 1996, while serving in the military, Chung suddenly fell ill like his siblings and was discharged from his unit. His family took him to the Central Psychiatric Hospital for examination, where doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia requiring long-term treatment. Due to poverty and lack of resources to stay in the hospital, his family bought medication and treated him at home.

Suffering from schizophrenia, Chung's condition worsened after his wife's death.

When his illness subsided, Mr. Chung was loved by Ms. Le Thi Tinh from a neighboring village, and they got married. In 2008, their daughter, Tran Thi Phuong, was born, bringing immeasurable happiness to the young couple. They worked hard to build a happy home. When Phuong was just over a year old, the couple welcomed another joy when Ms. Tinh became pregnant with their second child, a son. But once again, tragedy struck the family when a train accident claimed the life of Ms. Tinh and their unborn child.

The pain caused Mr. Chung to relapse, constantly muttering incoherently and unable to do anything. Each month, the cost of his medication reaches 2 million dong; if he stops taking it for just two days, he has a psychotic episode, smashing things and losing control of his behavior.

Phuong lost her mother at a young age, so she can only rely on her elderly and frail grandmother.

All the burdens fell on the shoulders of the elderly mother. Worried about her sick child and her young grandchild who had become an orphan at such a young age, Mrs. Luong struggled to make ends meet in the fields, cultivating a few acres of land, but even that wasn't enough to feed three mouths. Her two other children were also struggling financially and couldn't offer much help.

At nearly 80 years old, Mrs. Luong still has to till the land to grow vegetables to sell at the market. Due to her advanced age and frail health, there are days when she can't even stand up. Her fields are too small to cultivate, and she doesn't have the money to hire laborers, so she has to leave them fallow. All her expenses depend solely on the meager allowance from her orphaned grandchild.

Mr. Le Van My, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Mai Hung Ward, said: "Ms. Luong's family is one of the poorest households in Mai Hung Ward. Although the local authorities have waived some contributions, the daily medical expenses for Mr. Chung, coupled with Ms. Luong's old age and her granddaughter Phuong's schooling, mean they desperately need the support and assistance of kind-hearted people to alleviate their difficulties."

Thanh Thuy