Heartbroken for an old mother raising two children alone, one is stupid, the other is bedridden due to an accident.

When you come to Tien Ky commune, ask about Mrs. Chat's family and everyone will know becausesituationHer life was especially difficult and poor. Local people said that "Mrs. Chat's family could not be any more miserable". She had two children, and a few months after the birth of her second child, the couple divorced because her husband gambled and drank. She went alone to chop wood and cook bricks to earn money to raise her children.

The eldest son, Tran Van Khanh (born in 1989), was born with a congenital disability, his left leg and left arm were paralyzed, and he could not speak. Over time, Khanh grew up but did not become wise, living like a soulless body. Every day, all his activities, eating, bathing and cleaning were taken care of by Mrs. Chat.

What's more special is that Khanh refuses to wear clothes, and has been naked for many years. Whoever brings clothes, Khanh tears them to pieces. Not only clothes, but everything in the house such as blankets, curtains, and mats are also torn by Khanh. Khanh can't walk, and has to crawl on one leg and one arm, looking very miserable.

The dilapidated two-room charity house of Mrs. Chat's family in Ky Thinh hamlet. Photo: Huy Thu

He thought he would be a solid pillar for his elderly mother and disabled brother, but misfortunes continued to befall him. A few years ago, he suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident, had to undergo surgery to remove a blood clot in the brain, and had to be treated for a long time before recovering. In 2019, in a casetraffic accident, he had an accident and broke his leg.

At the end of June 2021, while delivering ice to a restaurant in Bac Giang, he had another accident. The accident caused his liver and spleen to be crushed, requiring surgery and treatment at Bac Giang Provincial Hospital. His son was far away, due to family circumstances,Covid-19 epidemic, Mrs. Chat also had to rely on her son's acquaintances and friends for help.

Mrs. Chat takes care of all the activities of her disabled son, including eating, bathing, etc. Photo: Huy Thu

The family was already poor, when Thanh had the third accident, Mrs. Chat's family became even more destitute. She had to take care of her mentally ill son at home, while also trying to find ways to treat her son who had the accident in Bac Giang.

Daily life was already hard, taking care of each meal for her child was difficult, now she had to run around and borrow money everywhere to save her child. There was no more rice in the house to sell, the few acres of sugarcane in front of the garden were still green. The most valuable asset of her family at the moment was a small cow (she raised it as a young cow, when it gave birth, someone gave it to her) she also planned to sell it to get money to treat her child.

Mrs. Chat said in tears: “After giving birth to my first child, I was mentally retarded for the rest of my life, and my second, who was healthier, kept having accidents at work. My family is so unhappy.” It seemed that she could no longer cry, because the tears of a poor mother had dried up because of the misfortunes that continuously befell her family.

Currently, Mrs. Chat is raising her disabled child and taking care of her child who had an accident. Photo: Huy Thu

After half a month of treatment, Thanh is out of danger. From Bac Giang, he was transferred to Nghe An for treatment and has been home for the past few days. Thanh's health is still weak, he is being isolated and treated at the home of a relative in the village.

Looking at the long incision that was gradually drying on her son's belly, Mrs. Chat's heart was filled with confusion and pain. "It's all thanks to him that he's like this. I love my son so much, but I don't know what to do."

Present at Mrs. Chat's house, Ms. Le Thi Hien (30 years old), from Tien Ky commune, shared: "As a resident of the commune, I understand all too well the suffering of Mrs. Chat's family, a poor mother, suffering both physically and mentally."

Mr. Thanh had his third accident and suffered a ruptured liver and spleen. Photo: Le Hien

In Mrs. Chat's two-room house in Ky Thinh hamlet (old hamlet 12), built jointly by local organizations, it has deteriorated and there is only a metal box and two old beds.

The tin barrel in the outer room was used to store rice, but now the rice was gone, leaving only a few baskets at the bottom. Two rickety beds were placed opposite each other in the inner room, without any mats. The bed Khanh slept on was temporary because it had been broken for a long time, with uneven planks on it that could be pushed back and forth.

After lying curled up on the bed, Khanh would crawl down to the middle of the house, crawl out into the yard, sometimes crawl into the sugarcane patch, tearing and gnawing on everything he could get his hands on. At times like that, Mrs. Chat could only drag her son into the house, and no one dared to come near. Because of the family's circumstances, Khanh had never been taken to the hospital for examination.

Mrs. Chat's greatest wish at this time is "Thanh will soon recover from his illness and be able to build a small, solid house to live in."

Representatives of local youth came to encourage Mrs. Chat's family. Photo: Huy Thu

Talking about Mrs. Chat’s difficult family situation of “carrying two burdens on one shoulder”, Mr. Lo Hong Tuong – Secretary of the Youth Union of Tien Ky commune said: “Mrs. Chat’s family situation is one of the most difficult in the commune. She is alone taking care of two seriously ill children.

To share with her, the local Youth Union is launching a fundraising campaign, calling on everyone in the spirit of “mutual love” and “little but much” to help her. More than ever, her family is in dire need of the community’s support.”

Any help please send to: - Mrs. Tran Thi Chat, Ky Thinh hamlet, Tien Ky commune, Tan Ky district, Nghe An province. Phone: 0356.742.469.

- Or Mr. Lo Hong Tuong - Secretary of Tien Ky Commune Youth Union. Account number: 5111 0000 644 758 BIDV Bank, Tan Ky branch. Phone number: 0987 729 948

- Distribution - Advertising and Social Activities Department, Nghe An Newspaper, No. 3, Le Nin Avenue, Vinh City, Nghe An. Tel: 02388.600.006