One pair of shoulders, seven lives

In the heart of Chau Hong, a family struggles with poverty and disease. Seven members of a three-generation family rely solely on the frail shoulders of the frail, ailing man. Behind him lies a massive debt and tears streaming down the faces of the elderly and children.

6 million VND and the burden of 7 family members.

We arrived at Tien Thanh village, Chau Hong commune, one late afternoon, as the sun was setting behind the small village and met seven members of Vi Van Nang's family. Of the seven, only Nang's eldest son, a ninth-grade student, was healthy and free from illness, yet he showed signs of malnutrition.

Ms. Ngan Thi Hien, Mr. Nang's wife, has been paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for over 8 years after contracting meningitis. Photo: HT

Vi Van Nang's wife, Ngan Thi Hien, has been paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for over eight years after contracting meningitis. There was a time when Vi Van Nang and Ngan Thi Hien, like many other young men and women in Tien Thanh village, left their hometown to work as factory workers in metal mills in the North, hoping for a better life. They brought with them the youthful energy and diligence of people from Western Nghe An province to earn wages to send back home to help their parents. However, that dream of "leaving home to escape poverty" soon turned into a nightmare.

Tragedy struck when Mr. Nàng suffered a serious work accident, resulting in permanent spinal injury. Sadly, because he was a freelance worker without a contract, he received no compensation, had no insurance, and no legal support. With his reduced ability to work and no longer able to do heavy labor, the couple returned to their hometown, relying on the old stilt house of his parents for support.

Mr. Vi Van Nang works as a hired laborer to earn money to support his family. Photo: HT

Misfortune struck again when, before her husband could recover, his wife, Ngan Thi Hien, fell ill with a terminal brain disease. The terrible illness left her paralyzed on one side of her body, completely losing her ability to work at such a young age. To save his wife from the clutches of death, Mr. Nang went everywhere, borrowing over 200 million dong to take her to hospitals from Hanoi to Nghe An. For a poor family in the mountainous region, that amount was not just a debt; it was a massive boulder weighing down their future.

Returning from the acacia plantation, Vi Van Nang and his mother, Vi Thi Thuong, were drenched in sweat, their faces pale, clearly showing signs of exhaustion. Currently, despite suffering from a spinal condition, Vi Van Nang still has to shoulder the responsibilities of being a father, husband, dutiful son and grandson, and the sole breadwinner for the entire family, earning approximately 6 million VND per month.

Calculated out, each person has less than 30,000 VND to cover all living expenses, tuition fees, and medicine costs each day. It's an unsolvable problem, an existence teetering on the brink of utter destitution.

Ngân Thị Hiền's two sons help their parents cook dinner after returning from school. Photo: HT

Mr. Vi Van Nang shared that, if he's healthy and doesn't take a single day off, doing whatever work he can find, his monthly income is about 6 million VND. This money has to be carefully managed to support seven people, including his wife (currently paralyzed on one side of her body), who needs medication and special care. His grandmother is over 80 years old and is very frail.

His father, Vi Van Hinh, suffered a stroke and is mentally impaired, requiring daily medication. His mother, Vi Thi Thuong, is also in a similar condition, currently suffering from liver disease and blindness in one eye. His two younger sons, one in 9th grade and the other in 6th grade, are at a crucial age for growth and development and desperately need to attend school. His youngest son, in particular, has an ear infection and has been using an earpiece for many years.

The fear of landslides and makeshift shelters.

Poverty not only plagues Vi Van Nang's family with illness but also with the insecurity of their housing. His parents' old stilt house is located in a dangerous area, frequently prone to landslides and flooding. Local authorities have ordered an urgent relocation to ensure their safety. But he confided, "Where can we move to when we have no savings and are burdened with debt?"

Vi Van Nang's grandmother and parents have to stay in their old house, located in a landslide-prone area, because they don't have the money to relocate. Photo: HT

Out of desperation, Nàng had to take his wife and children to borrow his sister's house near the main road so the children could easily go to school. Meanwhile, in their dilapidated house in the landslide-prone area, his parents and grandmother clung on, raising a few chickens and growing rice to make ends meet. This separation was not only due to circumstances, but also because of the pain of not being able to share a safe home together.

Nàng's father, after suffering a stroke, his eyes glazed over, no longer able to clearly perceive reality. His mother, with only one eye left, still tries to look towards the gate, waiting for her son to return from his work as a hired laborer. These elderly people are living their final days in constant anxiety about natural disasters and the haunting specter of poverty year after year.

Nàng's father suffered a stroke and has lost his ability to work, requiring daily care. Photo: HT

The only positive thing we felt, and clearly observed in all members of this family, was the love, sharing, mutual support, and encouragement they gave each other to strive for. From the parents to Mr. and Mrs. Nàng and their two children, everyone was very self-motivated to do housework and support each other in daily life.

At the simple meal consisting only of a bowl of wild bamboo shoot soup and three grilled fish with salt, the youngest child, when holding the bowl, still prioritized giving fish to his mother first. The husband and father, however, was not in a hurry to eat, but meticulously sat and removed the fish bones for his wife and children.

With tears in her eyes, Ms. Ngan Thi Hien shared: “Although there were times when I thought about my illness and even considered giving up, I felt sorry for my husband who endured his illness to love me, take care of our children, and his parents and grandmother. My relatives also shared and encouraged me. My eldest son, who is only in 9th grade, told me that he doesn't want to go to high school anymore, but wants to find a job to earn money to help support his parents… Those things made me tell myself I couldn't give up.”

This is considered a lavish meal for the Vi Văn Nàng family. Photo: HT

The story of Vi Van Nang is not just a cry for help; it's a lesson in family bonds and resilience. A man with a spinal injury is still struggling to keep his wife alive, his children smiling, and his parents at peace. But human strength has its limits, and he cannot fight this battle alone.

Therefore, in addition to the efforts of these unfortunate individuals themselves, the collective support and sharing of the community is also crucial to save those who are facing dead ends, struggling daily and hourly with illness and poverty.

Every contribution, however small, is a brick in rebuilding the roof for the frail grandmother, a dose of medicine for the paralyzed wife, and a glimmer of hope so that Nàng's brother doesn't collapse under the burden on his shoulders.

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All donations should be sent to Ms. Ngan Thi Hien, Tien Thanh village, Chau Hong commune, Nghe An province. Account number: 5101.454.412, Vietnam Investment and Development Bank ( BIDV ).

Alternatively, contact journalist Nguyen Ngoc Dung at 0913.064.060 for more information.

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/mot-doi-vai-bay-phan-doi-10329649.html