Heartbreaking story of a disabled sister raising her mentally ill younger sibling.

Of the three sisters, only Nguyen Thi Toan is mentally sound; her older sister is disabled, and her younger sister is insane. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Nestled in Hamlet 12 (Trù Sơn, Đô Lương), the home of the three sisters is a dilapidated two-room house. Inside, there is nothing of value except a rickety double bed, chipped and worn bowls, and a warped aluminum teapot with a bent spout.

Seeing strangers enter the house, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan rushed out onto the porch, grabbing a broom and shouting to chase them away. Hearing her sister's cries, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan quickly dropped the vegetables she was picking and hobbled out. Speaking in a broken, unclear voice, she explained, "She (pointing to Mrs. Lan) has a mental illness; when she sees strangers, she thinks they're being kidnapped, so she often reacts like that."

The house of the three sisters in Hamlet 12, Tru Son. Photo: Thanh Quynh

After learning the purpose of the visit, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan quickly called her neighbor over to talk. Mr. Le Xuan Thao, her next-door neighbor, said hesitantly, "Ladies, there are three sisters in the family, all around the same age. If you have anything to discuss, please talk to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan, and then we'll add more information..."

Their father was Mr. Nguyen Van Uyen, from Thai Son (Do Luong), who came to Tru Son to work as a laborer to earn a living. Their mother was Dang Thi Binh, from the southern region, who came here to make a living. Both were poor and struggling, working as laborers, they met, married, and settled in Tru Son. They had children one after another, but only their first son was normal and healthy; the three daughters were sickly and disabled.

Most pitiable is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan, who was born with schizophrenia and is not mentally sound. The burden of making a living and constant overwork has left Mr. Uyen ill in his old age, unable to work and forced to wander from place to place begging for food. Mrs. Binh, blind, is confined to her seat, relying on whatever her husband begs to survive.

Then their parents passed away, the eldest son got married, and with a large family and poverty, he couldn't help his younger sisters. The three sisters, frail, disabled, and mentally ill, relied on each other, barely surviving on meager meals.

Despite her frail health and paralysis in one leg, Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan still has to shoulder the responsibility of caring for her younger sister. Photo: Thanh Quynh

“Back when I was healthy, I used to go crabbing, collecting snails, and picking up scrap metal to sell for money to support my sisters. Of the three of us, only I knew how to shop, buy and sell, cook, and do laundry. But a few years ago, after a fall that broke my leg, I became disabled and very weak, unable to do anything. I even have to rely on neighbors to collect my monthly allowance. Now, our daily meals depend on Lien (the eldest sister) begging for food at U Market and Tru Market. Many times, my sisters and I have to eat stale rice with plain salt,” Mrs. Toan said, her voice choked with emotion, her eyes welling up with tears.

Every day, Mrs. Lien, with a cane in hand, leaves for work at 4-5 am and returns late in the afternoon. She begs for food and rummages through garbage, collecting empty beer bottles, plastic bottles, and plastic bags to sell to her sister. The image of this small, disabled woman, enduring rain and sun to make a living at the garbage dump at the corner of the market, has become all too familiar to the people of U Market and Tru Market. Her joints, from walking so much, are now calloused and lumpy, and when the weather changes, the pain torments her, causing her to cramp. Yet, to avoid going hungry, she still has to beg for food every day…

What worries Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan most is that when she passes away, who will take care of her sisters and brothers? Photo: Thanh Phuc

Meanwhile, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan stayed at home and was tasked with keeping an eye on her youngest sister. Because Mrs. Lan had an erratic temperament, she would chase and attack strangers, and didn't know how to take shelter from the rain or sun, so she was often sick. On days when the weather changed, Mrs. Lan would have a fit, smashing things in the house and chasing her sisters away…

Mr. Nguyen Cong Ha, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tru Son commune, said: “The family of the three sisters in Hamlet 12 is classified as an extremely disadvantaged family in the commune. Besides government subsidies, the people in the hamlet and commune also prioritize and help them; mobilizing organizations and associations to visit, share, and provide further support. Now, their house is dilapidated and in a state of disrepair. The commune is calling for and seeking resources to repair it so that the three sisters can be safe during the upcoming rainy and stormy season.”