Tears of an elderly mother who spent over 10 years raising her child in a crib.

(Baonghean.vn) - For more than 10 years, despite the immense pain, Mrs. Luong Thi Thuong has...Vinh Kim village, Hoa Son commune (Anh Son district)They still had to keep their mentally ill child locked in a cage, both to protect the child and to protect those around them.

For over 10 years, Mrs. Luong Thi Thuong in Vinh Kim village, Hoa Son commune (Anh Son district) has had to build a cage to confine her mentally ill son. Photo: Huyen Trang

The first thing that catches the eye upon entering Mrs. Thuong's house is the cage where her mentally ill son has been confined for over 10 years in a corner of the garden.

In the small, dilapidated houseHaving found something of value, Mrs. Thuong was busily preparing lunch for her sick son.

Mrs. Thuong shared: after getting married, she gave birth to eight children, six sons and two daughters, but raising them was difficult for her. Her eldest child fell ill and passed away, and her youngest, Luong Van Quy, suffered from severe mental illness. Life was hard and arduous, but she and her husband still managed to raise their children and get six of them married. Some lived nearby, some far away, but all of them struggled to make a living and couldn't offer much help to their parents.

They thought that once their children had grown up, the couple could rely on each other to care for their sick child. However, last year, her husband also died of a stroke, leaving her alone to struggle to raise and care for her mentally ill child who screams all day in her crib.

Mrs. Thuong sighed, bitterly recounting, "In 1989, I gave birth to Quy, and he was healthy and normal like any other child. Quy was intelligent and quick-witted, and did well in school. Besides going to school, he also stayed home to herd buffalo and cut grass to help his parents. Then, in 2004, disaster struck. Quy caught a severe fever, and a few months later, he became delirious. Our family was poor and couldn't afford treatment, so his condition worsened."

Out of desperation, the poor mother had to lock Quy in a cage to protect both her son and everyone else. Photo: Huyen Trang.

During his fits of rage, Quy would scream, smash all the furniture in the house, then run out into the street causing trouble, chasing and attacking his parents and other people around him. Heartbroken but determined not to let Quy harm anyone, Mrs. Thuong had to have a cage built to confine her son.

While Mrs. Thuong was talking to us, Quy occasionally let out terrifying screams. Although we had prepared ourselves mentally, we were still startled and frightened by those sounds. Mrs. Thuong reassured us, "He's having another episode."

She continued, "For over 10 years, watching my mentally ill child locked in a 'cage' in the corner of the garden has torn my heart apart. I've become a cruel mother, but if I let him out, he'll harm everyone. Not a night goes by without him cursing, screaming, and crying. Sometimes he'll sing incessantly and demand to go outside, keeping many neighbors awake. In the cage, Quy doesn't wear clothes because he tears up everything whenever we bring him blankets or bedding. But when he's calm, he's very pitiful. He's only 27 years old. Quy can sing, and quite well at that; he even remembers the people who occasionally visit… but when he has an episode, no one can control him."

It was painful and heartbreaking to have to confine her child to a cage, but Mrs. Thuong had no other choice. Photo: Huyen Trang

Gazing at the crib where her child lay, the old mother's tears flowed freely. This year, Mrs. Thuong is over 70 years old, too old to work. Occasionally, her children, neighbors, and friends give her rice to cook, and she mainly relies on government assistance from the poverty alleviation program. She worries that when she passes away, there will be no one to care for her mentally disabled child.

Speaking about this difficult situation, Mr. Nguyen Van Long - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Son commune (Anh Son district) shared: "This is a particularly difficult family, in a very unfortunate situation, while relatives and siblings are unable to help. For many years, the local government has paid close attention to the family and has mobilized organizations and associations, but the assistance has been limited."

Huyen Trang