Pity the home with an 85 year old mother raising three children infected with Agent Orange

(Baonghean.vn) - Although she is 85 years old, her eyes are dim, her ears are deaf, her steps are shaky and slow, Mrs. Vuong Thi Ly in Hamlet 9, Thanh Ha Commune (Thanh Chuong) still has to take care of and serve her 3 children infected with Agent Orange...

In 1956, Ms. Ly married Mr. Tran Dinh Trong (born in 1927), a retired anti-French soldier. After giving birth to two daughters, in 1961, Mr. Trong volunteered to be a civilian laborer stationed in Southern Laos and to join the army in Upper Laos (Lao PDR).

During his 11 years of military service in the key area, he was exposed to Agent Orange and left behind consequences for his five children. His only son (born in 1962) also had a wife and children, but after getting sick, he often wandered away and rarely returned home. The twin sisters Tran Thi Lien and Tran Thi Vinh (born in 1967) and Tran Thi Thang (born in 1971) were born with weak legs, unable to walk, and had to move with their hands.

Ms. Ly and her three children infected with Agent Orange (right) cannot walk and have to sit on low beds and move around by hand.

The second sister, Tran Thi Chau (born 1959), is the prettiest and healthiest in the family. When she was of marriageable age, many people came to propose to her, but seeing her younger siblings crawling on a torn mat in the corner of the house, she could not bear it, so she refused every single one.

Then in 1995, she died of heart disease. In 1996, after 3 years of fighting lung disease and asthma, Mr. Trong also passed away, leaving Mrs. Ly with sick children and a dilapidated house. Only the youngest sister, Tran Thi Thuy (born in 1974), although her legs were also weak, did not accept her fate. Thuy practiced every day, so she could walk and help Mrs. Ly take care of her sisters...

Although they have many children, all of them suffer from Agent Orange. The family is poor and has no money for treatment, so they can only live together helplessly. When Mr. Trong was alive, the family had enough to eat, but since his death, the family has fallen into extremely difficult circumstances.

All the children were sick, there was no main laborer in the family, the old house was in danger of collapsing... In 2003, the International Cross surveyed and supported the construction of a charity house for Mrs. Ha's family. Since then, the mother and her children had a place to shelter from the sun and rain, but the food for the whole family was only found in a few fields, so while working in the fields, Mrs. Ly had to build replacement legs for her three children. Difficulties and poverty always lurked around her and her children, the three daughters occasionally fainted, once Tran Thi Thang fainted, fell and broke her leg...

Thanh Ha commune government also gave her family priority to give a piece of land right on the inter-commune road. Relatives, neighbors and the government helped to build a small shop on the side of the road so that the saleswomen could earn extra money to live. They could move around with the help of a chair and a wheelchair to sell dry goods, beer, soft drinks, etc.

Ms. Tran Thi Lien has to use a moving chair to sell goods to customers.

Up to now, the three sisters have also enjoyed a monthly allowance of over one million VND, Mrs. Ly received 300,000 VND to take care of her three children infected with Agent Orange. As for Tran Thi Thuy, she was encouraged and helped by her family and friends, so after graduating from high school, Thuy went to college to study preschool education and was able to teach at the commune preschool, less than 1km from her home. As a teacher dedicated to her students, Thuy was trusted by the school leaders and loved by her colleagues...

Mr. Hoang Cao Phon, Chairman of Thanh Ha Commune People's Committee, said: Mr. Trong's family is a family that has contributed to the revolution, and their circumstances are also very pitiful, so the government has given them many priorities. Despite their illness, the whole family always strives to rise up, making the community and society respect them. We only hope that there will be a better treatment solution to help their family reduce their difficulties...

Ha Linh