Pity the disabled sister raising the crazy brother

Of the three sisters, only Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan is sane, while her older sister is disabled and her younger sister is crazy. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Nestled in the middle of Hamlet 12 (Tru Son, Do Luong), the home of 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 kettle with a bent spout.

Seeing a stranger enter the house, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan rushed to the porch, holding a broom to chase him away, screaming. Hearing her voice, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan quickly dropped the vegetables she was picking and hobbled out. With a broken, unclear voice, she explained: "She (she pointed to Mrs. Lan) has a mental illness, when she sees a stranger entering, she thinks she is being taken away, so she often reacts like that."

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

After knowing the purpose of the visit, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan quickly called her neighbor over to talk. Mr. Le Xuan Thao, who lives next door to her, said with concern: "Look, there are three sisters in this family, all of similar ages. If you have anything to say, please talk to Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan and we will talk more..."

Their father was Mr. Nguyen Van Uyen, a native of Thai Son (Do Luong) who came to Tru Son to work for a living. Their mother was Dang Thi Binh, a native of the central region who came here to work for a living. The two of them met each other in poverty, working for hire, got married and settled in Tru Son. Their children were born one after another, but only the eldest son was normal and healthy, while the three daughters were sick and disabled.

The most pitiful is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan, born with schizophrenia, not being alert and normal. The burden of making a living and constantly working hard, Mr. Uyen got sick all the time in his old age, unable to work to earn a living, so he had to crawl from place to place to beg for food. Mrs. Binh was blind, so she had to sit in one place, relying on what her husband begged for to survive.

Then the grandparents died, the eldest son got married, the family had many children, and was poor, so they could not help the younger siblings. The three sick, disabled, and insane sisters relied on each other, living day by day on vegetables and porridge.

Despite her poor health and one leg being paralyzed, Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan still has to take care of her younger sister. Photo: Thanh Quynh

“When I was young, I was still healthy, I went to catch crabs, snails, and collect scrap metal to sell to earn money to support my older sister and younger sibling. Of the three of us, only I knew how to shop, cook, and do laundry. But a few years ago, after falling and breaking a bone, my legs became crippled and I became weak, unable to do anything. I had to ask my neighbors to receive my monthly allowance. Now, my daily meals depend on Lien (the eldest sister) begging for food at U and Tru markets. Many times, my sisters and I had to eat stale rice with salt,” said Mrs. Toan, her voice choked with tears in her eyes.

Every day, Ms. Lien, with a cane in one hand and a cane in the other, leaves at 4-5am and returns late in the afternoon. She goes begging, rummaging through the trash to collect beer cans, plastic bottles, and nylon bags for her sister to sell. The image of a small, disabled woman, who spends her days in the rain and sun trying to make a living at the garbage dump at the corner of the market, is all too familiar to the people of U and Tru markets. Her joints, due to walking too much, are now bumpy and lumpy, and when the weather changes, the pain torments her to the point of cramps. However, in order to not miss a meal, she still has to beg for food every day...

What Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan worries about most is that when she passes away, who will take care of her sister and brother? Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toan stayed home and had the duty to watch over her youngest sister. Because Mrs. Lan had an erratic temperament, she would chase and beat strangers when they saw her, and did not know where to take shelter from the rain or the sun, so she often got sick. On days when the weather changed, Mrs. Lan would have fits, smash things in the house, and chase her sisters away...

Mr. Nguyen Cong Ha, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tru Son Commune, said: “The family of three sisters in Hamlet 12 is in a particularly difficult situation in the commune. In addition to the subsidy, the people in the hamlet and commune also give priority and help; mobilize mass organizations to visit, share and provide additional support. Now, their house is dilapidated and rotten, the commune is calling for and finding resources to repair it so that the three sisters are safe during the approaching storm season.”