Tragic family situation of 83-year-old mother taking care of two sick and disabled children

(Baonghean.vn) - Although she is in her seventies and in poor health, Mrs. Pham Thi Que in Hamlet 5, Thanh Khe Commune (Thanh Chuong) has to endure continuous pain when she lost her two sons, the pillars of the family, within just 3 months. She alone takes care of her two sick and disabled children.

Mrs. Que had 9 children, 6 girls and 3 boys. Her husband was a soldier during the war against the French. In 1976, he got stomach cancer. After nearly a year of trying to get medical treatment, he died, leaving Mrs. Que with a bunch of wild children (the oldest was not yet 20 years old and the youngest, Tran Trong Chin, was only 9 months old).

Struggling to cope with the pain of losing her husband, Mrs. Que struggled to make a living to raise her young children. The whole family lived on vegetables and porridge. Mrs. Que's five daughters grew up and got married. In the house, there was a second daughter who was disabled and a son with a mental illness who lived with her.

Ms. Que with her two mentally ill and disabled children. Photo: Dam Phuong

The eldest son Tran Trong Lieu (born in 1964) and the youngest son Tran Trong Chin are the main breadwinners for the whole family, their elderly mother and two sick siblings. Busy working to support his mother and three siblings, Lieu has no time to think about his own personal life. All year round, he works hard to take care of the 3 sao of contracted rice fields, and when the harvest season is over, he goes to work for hire, working hard to feed the family of 5 and provide medicine for his two siblings.

In 2010, the youngest brother Tran Trong Chin got married and built a small house on his ancestors' ancestral land. Mr. Lieu was less worried, but the illnesses of his two younger siblings Tran Thi Loan (born in 1961) and Tran Trong Liem (born in 1968) became increasingly serious, his mother was also constantly ill... the burden of worry became heavier and heavier on the shoulders of the family's breadwinner.

Feeling sorry for him, Chin also encouraged and comforted him to try to wait for him to stabilize his family life and share the burden with him. Mrs. Que was also somewhat comforted when she saw that her children knew how to love and share with each other; they were the support of the whole family.

However, disaster struck on August 26, 2016, when Lieu suddenly died after a severe headache. Mrs. Que was heartbroken when she lost her eldest son, the pillar of the family. She always felt that she owed her poor son a lot, because he always loved and devoted himself to taking care of the whole family, forgetting about his own life.

The pain of losing her eldest son had not yet subsided. Three months later, on November 28, 2016, she was shocked again when her youngest son, Tran Trong Chin, had just returned from work and suffered a headache and died on the way to the emergency room. Meanwhile, his youngest son was only 5 days old and the two older children were not yet 5 years old. Mrs. Que collapsed from exhaustion and was hospitalized due to a heart attack, anemia and swelling all over her body. She was in the hospital, her two sick children had no one to take care of them, and had to fend for themselves. Neighbors and neighbors took pity on her and occasionally came over to look after them.

Thanks to the care and support of the Thanh Yen commune government, all three mother and children are now receiving social security benefits of over 1 million VND per month. But that amount is not enough to buy medicine for her two sick children. All food and living expenses have long been taken care of by the eldest son, with the youngest son helping. But now, the two breadwinners have passed away, and Mrs. Que's already miserable family has fallen into an even more tragic situation.

Sharing about the difficult situation of Mrs. Que's family, Mr. Nguyen Khac Tan - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee said: The commune is very interested in creating conditions for Mrs. Que's family to enjoy all the state's policies, and support rice and money for holidays and Tet. But now, her family no longer has anyone who is able to work, all daily activities also need help; the community's sharing is needed to help the family overcome difficulties.

Please send any help to: Mrs. Pham Thi Que, Hamlet 5, Thanh Khe Commune, Thanh Chuong District

Or QC-PH-HĐXH Department No. 3 - Le Nin Avenue - Hung Phuc Ward, Vinh City.

Ha Linh