Pity the nearly 90 year old woman raising her mentally ill son

(Baonghean.vn) - In a house with only a mother and child, the 87-year-old mother is taking care of her sick child, who has to be chained to the bed all day. That is the difficult situation of Mrs. Tran Thi Dung in Hamlet 9, Da Son Commune (Do Luong).

In the dilapidated, rickety house, a wooden bed was placed against the gable wall. Mr. Tran Van Son (42 years old), the old man’s son, was covered tightly with a blanket, one hand chained to the bedpost. Everything in the house was almost empty. The old man pulled the blanket, his son lay lifeless. Sitting down next to his son, the old man sadly told about his life.

When she was young, she got married many times but could not have children, so she remarried, marrying Mr. Tran Van Chat - a veteran who had just returned to his hometown after being discharged from the army. When their first son was born, the couple was extremely happy, thinking that life had smiled on their late fate, having a son to rely on in their old age. Unexpectedly, not long after that, disasters continuously struck her family.

Mrs. Tran Thi Dung is stacking bricks to cover the tarpaulin in front of the porch to prevent the sun and rain from shining into the house.

First, Mr. Chat developed a mental illness, often running around the village, screaming, going to the river to dig sand to make shelters... Mr. Chat enlisted in the army during the anti-French war, participated in the fight against the Americans on the southern battlefield, was captured and imprisoned by the enemy. Many people believe that he suffered from psychological trauma and a nervous disorder due to the effects of war and Agent Orange. This illness lasted for many years, leading to physical exhaustion, and in 2001 he died.

His only son, Tran Van Son, after finishing secondary school, went to work far away in the South. Upon hearing the news of his father's death, he returned home to mourn. But what was more heartbreaking was that soon after, he developed the same illness as his father, ran away from home, screaming, causing trouble, blocking cars on the street...

His family and relatives took him to the hospital for treatment many times, but his condition did not improve. From a healthy young man, Son suddenly became a crazy, foolish person, no longer aware of his surroundings. When he had a seizure, he threw everything in the house, including the altar, burned all the books, papers, and medals of his father; climbed up the house and removed all the tiles and threw them into the yard... at times like that, except for his relatives, no one dared to come near.

Mrs. Dung with her 42-year-old sick son.

For the past 5 years, Dung's relatives have been forced to chain Son's hands in the house. Every day, he lies curled up on the bed, sometimes silent, sometimes screaming, disturbing the neighbors. At mealtimes, neighbors will bring food to Dung, who will try to cook rice herself. Before, Son could still eat by himself, but now Dung has to feed her son while eating. When bathing, relatives will come to unchain him, threaten and shout to get Son to the well.

While scooping cold rice from the pot to eat dinner, Mrs. Dung choked up: "I thought I had a child to rely on, but after Mr. Chat died, his child got sick like this. Our family is so unlucky, but what can we do?" Mrs. Dung herself is old and weak, unable to walk steadily, taking care of herself is difficult, and worrying about her sick son is also very heartbreaking.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hong, head of Hamlet 9, shared: “Mrs. Dung’s family is the most difficult household in the village. For decades, she has been taking care of her husband and then her children. There is no one left in the family to rely on. Although the local government and neighbors have shown some concern and help, they cannot ease the suffering of her family.

Leaving the small house on Highway 46, saying goodbye to Mrs. Dung in the twilight, the image of the old mother sitting there looking at her sick, godless child still lingers in our hearts.

Dung's pitiful situation really needs the community's help and sharing to help her family reduce difficulties in life./.

Huy Thu