The "penguin" boy Nguyen Gia Lam was assisted by volunteers and high school graduation exam site staff to the exam room (Photo: Huyen Nguyen).
The nickname "penguin" has been with Gia Lam since childhood. For the 12th grade student at Dien Hong Secondary and High School (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City), it is a cute name. He feels happy because he is compared to an animal that is loved by many people, a special image with its own beauty.
In Lam's clear eyes, it was not a difference but a unique mark, making her special in her own way.
Born with an intact body, Nguyen Gia Lam (born in 2007) was unfortunately born with a congenital heart disease. At the age of 2, after a surgical intervention, serious complications forced him to have all four limbs amputated to sustain his life.
From a healthy boy, Lam had to face a completely different life. However, deep in his immature soul, he still nurtured a great, burning dream of living like a normal person.
And that young man is trying to prove himself every day. This year, Nguyen Gia Lam is a senior student, studying at the right age, and has completed the 2025 high school graduation exam.
This is an important milestone, a milestone of maturity, creating momentum for Lam to move towards the future, develop himself and be independent in life.
Always smiling, Lam said he had prepared enough knowledge and would try his best to pass this exam in the best way, not letting down those who have always loved and trusted him.
"These past few days, I've been focusing on practicing test questions and reviewing the formulas I've learned. I often stay up until 1am practicing test questions. Today, when I take the test, my feelings are hard to describe," Lam said.
Despite having all four limbs amputated, the male student affirmed that he could still hold a pen and do his homework, even though he knew his writing speed would not be as fast as his friends.
"Writing by myself, especially in literature, helps me clearly express the ideas I want to convey. Before, I tried asking my teachers to rewrite it for me, but I'm having a bit of difficulty expressing it so that they can understand," the male student shared.
Recalling the first days after surgery, Lam was faced with a series of difficulties, testing the will of a child and his family. From the simplest tasks such as personal hygiene or studying, Lam had to practice on his own with his immature stumps.
She shared that, up to now, she only needs help from her brother to get dressed and walk, otherwise, she can do everything herself to be proactive in her daily activities. Lam can also hold a pen and write, use the computer and phone flexibly with both elbows.
Anyone who has ever met Lam must have a deep impression of a young man with extraordinary determination and optimism. Gia Lam said he has never felt discriminated against. On the contrary, he has always received love and harmony from everyone.
“Everyone sees me as someone who needs help and gives me priority. Whatever I can’t do, they do it gently, without forcing or making things difficult for me,” Lam confided.
I am shared with and treated like a normal friend by my friends, without any difference. Teachers always gently ask and care. Even when I encounter strange looks from strangers, I do not think too much, because I tell myself that I am always welcomed.
Lam considers this a lucky thing and believes that he can do things that normal people can do. Those feelings become a great motivation for Lam to be self-reliant and develop his abilities.
“I understand that to prove myself as a completely normal individual, I have to work three times, even ten times harder than others,” Gia Lam expressed his determination. For the male student, life must always be positive for everything to become meaningful.
Teacher Pham Thi Anh Tuyen, Gia Lam's homeroom teacher, commented that the male student was very active, hard-working, and loved by his friends. She said that Lam had special permission to graduate from high school, but he still took the exam to get the score to be admitted to university.
"She is always happy, optimistic, and tries hard in her studies. Lam has good academic performance and never needs to be reminded by teachers," Ms. Tuyen shared.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Manh, Gia Lam's mother, told about the arduous but also joyful journey when her son started learning to write at the age of 4-5.
At first, she taught her children at home, patiently teaching each word, but without any expertise, it was not effective. Then, thanks to an introduction, Lam was taken to Hoa Binh Village, Tu Du Hospital, where there was a teacher specializing in teaching disabled children. Every day, Mrs. Manh persistently took the twin brothers Gia Lam and Gia Hung to class, waited outside, and ignored all work to take care of her children.
Gia Lam's writing progressed quite quickly thanks to his awareness and extraordinary efforts. Mrs. Manh proudly said: "Gia Lam is aware, he writes quickly, just put the pen to his mouth and writes."
Gia Lam during a literacy class at Hoa Binh Village, Tu Du Hospital (Photo: Family provided).
Gia Lam also recalled that back then, he just picked up the pen with the thought of writing until he got it right. He was always confident that he could do it, so when he succeeded, he accepted it as a matter of course.
However, the journey to find a school for Gia Lam at the primary level was very difficult. At that time, many schools refused to accept him because he was disabled.
Mrs. Manh said that she knocked on many doors but only received head shakes. Fortunately, thanks to the help of the teacher at Hoa Binh Village and the support of the Principal of Phan Van Tri Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), Lam and Hung were accepted to study.
“When I came to apply for admission, the classes had already closed their lists and were full. The principal felt sorry for our situation, so he thought for a while and then decided to arrange more seats for the two of us, opening the door to knowledge for Lam. I am extremely grateful for that,” the mother confided.
In particular, his twin brother Nguyen Gia Hung is Lam's closest companion. Every day, Hung takes care of his brother and takes him to school even though they study in different places.
From early morning, Hung prepared food and toothbrush for his younger brother, drove him to school, then hurried back to take care of himself. In the afternoon, the older brother gave up all his fun with friends to come home early to pick up his younger brother. This close brotherly love is a solid support for Lam.
"I see you as a friend, someone who can share with me, completely help me, someone I can ask for help without any hesitation," Gia Lam emotionally said.
Sitting behind his motorbike every day to school, often telling each other funny stories or stopping by restaurants to eat and drink... are memorable moments for Lam.
The twin brother also sees taking care of his younger sibling as a matter of course, not a burden. Hung understands that he has to take care of his younger sibling in place of his parents, sharing the burden.
Gia Hung was deep in thought, his eyes distant as if he was looking back into the past: “The day Lam had to have surgery and was discharged from the hospital, a big change happened, making me confused. I asked my parents what happened, why Lam was different, but the adults kept avoiding that question.”
Loving his parents and his younger sibling, Hung chose to study continuingeducation to save money, even though this made his schedule quite busy as he had to study and pick up and drop off his younger sibling.
“My parents have to work hard to sell goods, busy from 12am the night before to 4-5am the next morning. Therefore, I have to help my parents reduce the work, also to compensate for Gia Lam's loss,” Hung shared with admirable maturity.
Hung hopes his younger brother can study fully and have a stable job, without having to travel much.
Gia Lam's illness has made the economy somewhat difficult. The family of five is renting a small house in an alley on To Hien Thanh Street (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) to sell food. The ground floor is for business, the upper floor is a small attic for living. A life full of hardships, where Lam's parents have to work hard to earn money to raise three children to study.
However, they always cherish the desire "no matter how hard the parents are, the children must go to school".
Mrs. Manh said that the family had moved to many places to find a place that was both convenient for living and business, with an attic to support their child. At all costs, they would create the best possible conditions for Lam's convenience.
Understanding that feeling, Gia Lam said that his parents are the most important people in his life. His father shows his love through actions, even though he rarely shares words. As for his mother, she always works hard, earns money, and sacrifices unconditionally for her children.
"Many times, at 5am I still saw my mother cleaning, I felt so sorry. I know my parents are too hard-working. However, my mother always takes care of me, always prioritizes me unconditionally. She always encourages me to do what I like, to develop, to live, she will always be there," Lam confided with deep gratitude.
The "penguin" boy takes the sacrifice and care of his parents and siblings as the motivation to live and develop himself.
Gia Lam dreams of becoming a graphic design student. She feels that this field is suitable for her because she loves creativity, non-repetitive work, and she has her own “aesthetic taste” and is “better than normal people”.
Since childhood, Lam has been exposed to computers and technology, which has helped him learn more about basic expertise. He feels that he is more creative and introspective, and using his elbows to operate the computer has become a familiar thing.
For Gia Lam, the future goal is to be stable first, then develop. I hope that in the future I can be my own boss and have a good income to support my life without depending on others.
"Parents are partly for me to live, partly for me to repay later", Gia Lam told himself.
A student with two arms and two legs amputated in Ho Chi Minh City "draws" his university path (Video: Cao Bach).
Although the business in the small alley was difficult and the family had 3 children to go to school, Mr. and Mrs. Manh were determined to create conditions for Gia Lam to go to school at all costs.
However, Mrs. Manh cannot help but worry about her son's future, especially when he is about to enter university. She worries about who will accompany Lam when his parents are old and weak, because his brother Gia Hung also needs to have his own life.
What worries her most is that Lam is grown up, while his parents are getting older and weaker. They hope Lam will have a job so that he can be independent in the future, without having to depend on anyone.
Along with worrying about taking Gia Lam to university, the cost of the two brothers' education also gave them a headache.
“When Lam was in high school, his tuition was exempted, but his family saw that the cost was not too much, a few hundred thousand per month, within their ability, so they still paid for him without applying. But going to university was a very different story," Ms. Manh explained.
Now, Gia Hung also has the option of choosing his own school, so she will return to taking Gia Lam to school, so the financial burden will fall on her husband's shoulders.
The mother's voice dropped when talking about her children's future: "I know that if both of them go to university together, it will certainly put a lot of financial pressure on the family."
She said, Gia Lam really wanted to go to university, but was afraid that her parents wouldn’t be able to afford it. One day before the high school graduation exam, Lam asked her mother: “Mom, it costs a lot for me to go to university, and Gia Hung’s education also costs a lot. Can you afford it? I’m afraid you’ll have to borrow money.”
Hearing her child say that, the mother's heart ached.
"But then, I reassured my child: "Just keep studying, wherever you go, I'll figure it out," said Nguyen Thi Manh.
In the most difficult moments, optimism is always the guiding principle for Gia Lam and inspires family members. She does not look at her weaknesses, but looks straight ahead, living life to the fullest: “Just live, do not look at your weaknesses, just look straight ahead, be sociable and everyone will be sociable with you, do not make a difference, live within your capacity”, Lam said.
For Lam, optimism is not only important for exams but also the core of life.
"If I don't live well, everything is useless to me," the male student said.
“I am Nguyen Gia Lam, also known as the determined penguin. I hope that people in the same situation as me will always live looking forward, and not be discouraged by weaknesses or differences in this life,” Nguyen Gia Lam wrote.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/giac-mo-bay-cua-cau-be-chim-canh-cut-20250629003009883.htm
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