Heartbreaking scene of 85-year-old mother raising 4 mentally ill children

Nearly 85 years old this year, Mrs. Vinh still has to work hard every day to take care of her children. Photo: Minh Thai

We arrived at Mrs. Vinh’s house as she was struggling to spread out the rice pots to dry, which had been harvested by the neighbors earlier. Despite the hot weather, her old age, her weak health, her hunched back, and her swollen knees, she still struggled.

At this age, Mrs. Vinh should be resting and enjoying her old age, but she is the only support for her foolish children.In the dilapidated house with a damp smell, we choked up and felt sorry when we heard the story through her tearful words.

The dilapidated house was degraded, but Mrs. Vinh's family did not have the means to repair it. Photo: Minh Thai

Mrs. Vinh and her husband have 6 children, all of whom are mentally ill. Two of them have passed away. Then Mrs. Vinh's husband also passed away, leaving her with 4 sick children. Of the 4 children, Ms. Nguyen Thi Na (born in 1979) is the most seriously ill. She does not smile, does not talk, does not walk, just lies motionless in a corner of the house. Ms. Nguyen Thi Toan (born in 1964) has also been sick for more than 40 years. Mr. Nguyen Van Toan (born in 1960) is also absent-minded, often not at home, wandering around. All hope is for Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan (born in 1977), who was normal in previous years but has been sick frequently in recent years. Ms. Loan went to the doctor and found out that she had brain and jaw disease, so all the burden fell on her old and weak mother.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Na (born in 1979) was the most seriously injured person, having to stay in one place. Photo: Minh Thai

Time passed by, and now it is almost the end of my life. My children have never once felt the fullness of life, never once worn new clothes, never once had a full meal of fish and meat like other families. Seeing her shed tears in extreme despair, the children still smiled foolishly. Mrs. Vinh seemed to have gotten used to it so she was no longer sad, only turning back to respond with the gentle smile of a mother who loved her children endlessly.

For many years, life has pushed her into a dead end. There were moments when she wished she could die so that the pain would no longer haunt her. But seeing her four children grow up but not grow up, she felt heartbroken and struggled to survive.

As she gets older and weaker, Mrs. Vinh is always worried about how many more years she will live to take care of her children. Photo: Minh Thai

In the past, when she was still healthy, she worked as a hired hand in the fields for neighbors and earned a few bucks to feed her children. But as time went on, she got older, suffered from arthritis and had difficulty moving around, and her health declined. She just stayed at home, growing vegetables and hunting to make a living. Her children's food also cost more, and she alone could not manage it. They all depended on the monthly subsidy from the government.

For nearly 60 years, she has been tormented by the fact that she has not fulfilled her duties as a mother, and has not been able to provide her children with a full life like everyone else. What worries her most now is that she is getting older and weaker, her children are all grown up but are sick and there is no way to treat them, so their illnesses are getting worse. How many more years will she have left to take care of her children?

The commune's political and social organizations have organized many charity programs to share the difficulties with her family. Photo: Minh Thai

When asked about her wishes for old age, she absentmindedly said that she only hoped that God would give her good health so that she could be with her children. Although optimistic, she still could not forget the worry of how her children would live when she passed away.

To encourage Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vinh's family, in recent years, Nghia Thang commune (formerly known as Nghia Thanh commune) and the commune's political and social organizations have organized many charity programs to share the difficulties with the family.

Mr. Phan Van Thuan - Chairman of the Red Cross Society of Nghia Thanh commune said: "Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vinh's situation is very difficult, her husband died early, her children have mental illness, only Ms. Loan is the one who is better, but now she also has brain disease and jaw lymph nodes. Life is too difficult and hard, I hope that all levels, sectors, benefactors, and donors will join hands to help her family."

Mrs. Vinh's family is in dire need of kind-hearted people to join hands and help, to share the burden on her weak shoulders so that she can be less miserable.

For any assistance please contact:

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong - Red Cross Society of Nghia Thanh commune (Nghia Dan).

Contact phone: 0984.706.081Account number: 3620205190790 - Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Nghia Dan district.

Or contact viaPublishing and Social Activities Department - Nghe An Newspaper.

No. 3, Lenin Avenue, Hung Phuc Ward - Vinh City - Nghe An.

Phone: (023) 83588138; (023)88600006.