The boy without arms – the person who inspires us to live beautifully

Before my eyes, Quan sat on a special table placed between two rows of desks and chairs. The boy had a wide forehead and big, bright eyes, looking intently at the new teacher in the class. That boy's sleeves hung down: he no longer had both arms.

The will and determination of Quan (sitting at a special table, in the middle of the last row of the class) makes me extremely respect and admire.

I had to try to pull myself out of the feeling of deep sorrow. I knew that neither Quan nor the class expected her to show mercy. People needed understanding and sharing, not empty flattery.

Sad news

Vu Hong Quan was born in 2008 in zone 8, Cu Thang commune (Thanh Son, Phu Tho ). The handsome, agile boy was born in the endless joy of his family. Quan would have grown up peacefully, if not for the heartbreaking incident. On the morning of September 10, 2013, Quan followed his mother to a neighbor's house to attend a wedding. While everyone was busy with work, the boy wandered alone to the back of the house. A few minutes later, the boy's scream rang out. When everyone ran out, Quan was standing close to the bear cage, his arms covered in blood, in pain and panic. The hands of a 5-year-old boy were too small, so even though the iron bars of the bear cage were very sturdy, he was still able to squeeze inside with the simple thought of feeding the bear... When the beast bit one arm, Quan's other arm reflexively also quickly passed through the tiny iron mesh to rescue the bitten arm and his two arms were crushed under the sharp teeth... Immediately, everyone gave first aid and called for emergency help, but the boy's two arms could not be saved. According to the doctor - doctor Hoang Hai Duc, Deputy Head of the Pediatric Orthopedics Department, National Children's Hospital at that time, "the patient was transferred to the hospital in a state of shock due to pain and severe blood loss. The patient lost his right arm near the shoulder joint and his left arm near the elbow. After blood transfusion, fluid infusion, pain relief, and shock treatment for the patient, the doctors performed surgery to remove and reconstruct the stump of the right shoulder and one-third of the left forearm". The story of the boy Vu Hong Quan whose two arms were bitten off by a neighbor's bear became a shocking story. The tears of regret and sorrow from the adults could not save the situation. Quan became an armless boy from then on.

Overcoming tragedy

"I remember when people told me and showed me videos about the example of teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky. Every day I tried a little. It took me a long time to use my legs...", Quan shared with me about the first days of losing his hands like that. Even though it was a tragedy, people still had to accept it to live. For the 5-year-old boy at that time, it was not about continuing to live but also about overcoming at all costs. I know that to share his words and innocent smile like that, Quan had to pay with countless tears and blood to be able to control his legs as he wanted. It is true that "in life there are no dead ends, only boundaries, the key is to have the strength to cross those boundaries" (Nguyen Khai). After Quan returned from the hospital, he overcame his psychological trauma and reintegrated into life faster than everyone thought. At first, he was not used to it, so his parents had to support Quan in his daily activities. But with a farming family with many economic difficulties, the parents could not stay home to help their children forever. Quan tried very hard and gradually his son was able to do small things for himself: eat by himself with his feet, clean himself, and he could even hold a broom around his neck to... sweep the house.

"As long as the sun rises tomorrow, there is still hope for everything, and so do we."

The desire to go to school also made the boy from the poor countryside do something even more special: Quan diligently practiced writing with his feet. The day he was able to hold a pen between his toes to write his first lines, his parents cried, his teacher cried, and Quan burst into joy and belief: if he tried, he would do it. I had heard, seen his student records, and also watched a report on Phu Tho TV about a 5th grade boy who wrote with his feet and won first prize in a district-level calligraphy contest with great admiration. But the first time I stood on the podium and looked down between two rows of desks and chairs: Quan sat alone on a special table at the back of the class, using his feet to pull out books, pens, notebooks... from his backpack, doing so extremely quickly, it took me a few dozen seconds to freeze. Confusion made me take out the book, then open my bag to search without actually knowing what I was looking for. A few minutes later, I went to the back of the class and asked Quan in the most natural voice: "Do you need any help?". "No, teacher!". A few students' voices shouted: "He is so good, teacher, he can do it all by himself". "That's great. It's your time, if you need any help, just tell me". "Yes, thank you". His concise yes, gentle face and broad forehead made my heart sink. The child's innocence made me feel heartbroken. Quan will surprise me even more. I once whispered to him: "The essay is too long and tiring to write, please stop". He still responded neatly and obediently, but when checking his notebook, there was not a single lesson in which Quan missed a line. The test was even better than what I expected, compared to the tests of his classmates, Quan did much better. The will and determination of this student made me extremely respectful and admired. Quan is a special student, so according to Circular 22/2021/TT-BGDDDT, he is given a reduced assessment or is exempted from tests based on his score. But Quan surprised the whole school when he submitted an application to the school requesting to be tested and evaluated by scores like other normal students. "I know it will be more difficult, but I will try. I hope that I will have the opportunity to be considered for university in the future." Quan shared this when submitting his application to the school's board of directors. I often tell other students: "Lessons are not far away, extraordinary things are not only on TV, when you go to class 10A9, you will see that Vu Hong Quan is such an example." But despite being respected by teachers and admired by friends, Quan always kept a gentle smile. Throughout the 10th grade, Quan never missed a day of school. At the end of the school year, Quan achieved a good grade, an achievement that only 15/45 students in class 10A9 achieved. Fortunately, although his house is 8 km from school, Quan can take the bus with his friends, so the way to school is not a big obstacle. Therefore, Quan's parents were also reassured to let him go to school by himself when Quan went to the district center to attend high school.

The sun will rise tomorrow

This year Quan is in 11th grade, I am still the literature teacher of this determined student. Over the past year, he has passed on to me his will and a source of positive energy. Over the year, I have gotten to know and understand more about this special student. I only occasionally stop teaching when I see my student raise his stump elbow to rub against his handsome face. At that time, I feel so sorry. I always wish that in his madness, that beast would leave him one arm. Just one arm..., his life would be so much better. But then I think of the sentence Quan wrote on the inside cover of his notebook: "As long as the sun still rises tomorrow, then everyone can still hope, and so can we" (Miyie). Surely, the sun will rise tomorrow, for Quan.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cau-be-khong-tay-nguoi-truyen-cam-hung-song-dep-cho-chung-toi-185241015124336172.htm