Tears fall as younger brother takes care of brain dead brother and mentally ill mother

(Baonghean.vn) - Although he was in 12th grade, Bui Huu Duc Phap had to drop out of school because his brother wasaccident in stateBrain dead in hospital, mentally ill mother and 3 young siblings in school age.

Bui Huu Duc Phap was speechless when we asked about his family situation. Tears kept falling down the 17-year-old boy's cheeks as he was busy taking care of his brother who was lying on a hospital bed at the Intensive Care - Anti-Poison - Artificial Kidney Department of Vinh City General Hospital.

Phap's brother, Bui Huu Duc (20 years old), who has long been the breadwinner of the family, is now in a vegetative state after an accident on his way to work.

Phap alone takes care of his brain-dead brother in the hospital. Photo: Thien Thien

The dilapidated French house is located at a corner of Hamlet 3, Nghi Van Commune (Nghi Loc District, Nghe An). From time to time, people in that house can hear the screams of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue - French's mother. Although 40 years old, French's mother looks haggard and emaciated because she has been suffering from schizophrenia for many years.

Sometimes she was conscious, but most of the time, Ms. Hue was delirious, unable to distinguish between people, unable to do anything, only cursing and chasing away anyone who came near.

According to Phap, his mother had shown signs of mental illness since she was a child. By the age of eighteen or twenty, those symptoms disappeared. Phap's mother went to work for hire and met Phap's father, fell in love, and moved in with him, becoming husband and wife.

Bui Huu Duc is now in a vegetative state. Photo: Thien Thien

Duc and Phap were born one after another to the happiness of their parents and relatives. However, the joy did not end when pain struck the poor family. When Phap's mother gave birth to the next three children, her mental illness relapsed and became more and more serious. Because of that, her father left behind five orphaned siblings and their pitiful mother and disappeared.

When she was sober, she was fine, but when she had a mental breakdown, Hue did unimaginable things. Phap said that many times her mother forced her to sleep with the pig because she was afraid the pig would catch a cold. Or cursing her children and breaking things in the house was a daily occurrence. At times like that, Phap often told her siblings to run away, and she would ask the neighbors to come over and hold her mother's hands and feet.

His mother was sick and could not do much work. Fortunately, his brother Bui Huu Duc was resourceful and quick-witted, so he worked hard to support the family. Due to his family's difficult circumstances, Duc had to drop out of school early to take care of his mother and younger siblings.

There is nothing valuable in the French house. Photo: Thien Thien

Duc applied for a job as a grocery marketer. The work was steady and he was diligent, so thanks to Duc, the family's meals were less hungry. However, more than 2 months ago, while delivering goods in Vinh city, it was raining heavily, to avoid an oncoming car that was encroaching on the road, Duc lost control and crashed into a road boundary marker.

The accident left Duc seriously injured. After being hospitalized, he was diagnosed with half brain death and pleural effusion. Although he regained consciousness after the severe impact, Duc lived like a vegetable because he was no longer aware of anything.

Doctor Ngo Nam Hai, Deputy Head of the Department of Intensive Care - Anti-Poison - Artificial Kidney, Vinh City General Hospital said: "Duc's life is saved, but he will likely have to live a vegetative life for the rest of his life because half of his brain is dead. Currently, he still has strength in his legs and arms, one leg has recovered, hopefully he will be able to walk again after practicing."

The French mother and her children do not know much about the difficult situation their family is facing. Photo: Thien Thien

In a split second, all the family burdens suddenly fell on the small shoulders of Phap – a boy of only 17 years old, a carefree age. Phap said that the family had nothing of value to sell to treat him. The fields were abandoned because no one was strong enough to work. And his family had to mortgage their land to have money for medicine, to save his life even though there was only a glimmer of hope.

Now, Phap takes care of his brother in the hospital every day by himself. He eats occasionally, but mostly eats free meals from charities at the hospital. Occasionally, Phap asks relatives to take care of his brother so he can go home to clean the house, and most importantly, look after his mother and younger siblings.

Phap cried: “I don’t know what to do anymore, I can only take care of you and my family to the best of my ability. I just hope my brother gets well soon so I can go back to work to help the family, otherwise, if it continues like this, no one will be able to take care of my mother and the children at home…”

Thien Thien