Disabled man 'heals' the roads

Despite his difficult family circumstances and struggling to make a living on his disabled legs, Mr. Nguyen Hong Dan (56 years old, Can Tho ) still silently contributes to the community.

Over the past decade, he has been tirelessly "healing" many roads for free, regardless of rain or shine.

Người đàn ông khuyết tật ‘chữa lành’ những con đường — *"I chose to patch the road simply because I wanted to see people no longer have potholes..." PHOTO: DANG HOANG AN*

Silent sacrifice

Born in 1968 in a poor family in the "white rice and clear water" region, at the age of two, Mr. Nguyen Hong Dan was tormented by a terrible fever, leaving him with lifelong disabilities. The problems life brought were not easy, forcing the child at that time to make great efforts to stand on his remaining leg. It seems that in every difficulty there is always a hidden path. And he has proven that he can do everything like a non-disabled person. Not blessed with healthy legs, from a young age, in both perception and action, he has always shown himself to be strong, courageous and adaptable to all adversities. Due to his poor family background, the disabled boy had to touch life early, despite the inconvenience. Limping with every step, he crept everywhere, from big roads to small alleys to sell lottery tickets to make a living. And then on that journey, he found simple happiness with his virtuous wife and obedient children. However, due to "no land to settle down", poverty was persistent, so the whole family had to travel back and forth, living here and there. One time, while selling lottery tickets in Binh Duong , he witnessed a tragic accident: the victim passed away because of a pothole on the road. That scene deeply engraved in his heart the pain and sympathy. It was that moment that awakened his compassion, urging him to act, to do something kind for the community.

Back at the boarding house, he was thinking about patching the road for charity. A few days later, he decided to embark on this journey. Since then, Mr. Dan has spent a small portion of his monthly income from selling lottery tickets to buy free cement to patch the road. Talking about this issue, he frankly said: "To be honest, my family is also in difficulty, but seeing people and the public having accidents, I couldn't help myself. I chose to patch the road simply because I wanted to see people no longer have potholes. My heart told me to do it, so I just did it!", he said and smiled. At first, he found rocks and rubble to temporarily patch the road for the people. During the process of "working hard is good, studying hard is good", he switched to asphalt to make the patch more durable. Although material resources are limited, his charity and spirit for the community are extremely admirable. Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Men (Binh Thuy, Can Tho) expressed: "Many people with conditions do not necessarily think about doing charity, while my uncle is disabled, selling lottery tickets to save up to buy cement, picking up stones and diligently patching roads from one to another". With the ups and downs of life, my uncle's family drifted all over the country and finally settled in their hometown. Living in Can Tho, my uncle sold lottery tickets and patched charity roads, plus his wife's money from selling groceries, the family's economy was basically enough to live on. Life seemed peaceful, but unexpectedly, the Covid-19 pandemic took away his virtuous wife - the home front who always supported my uncle in doing charity work. Not long after that, my uncle suffered a heart attack and had to have a coronary stent inserted, but he was still determined to continue patching roads for free with a command from his heart: "If I don't do it and there is a traffic accident there, I feel guilty, the court of conscience will not allow it", my uncle calmly shared. On the roads with his footprints, his hands diligently filled in the potholes, creating a flat road for people to travel safely.

Living beautifully in everyday life

Following Uncle Dan's experience of patching roads, I was able to sympathize with the difficulties, extraordinary efforts and noble ideals of this disabled man.

Early in the morning, he goes to the areas where road construction is taking place to pick up old plastic blocks that people leave on the side of the road and bring them home. The next step is for him and his son to put the plastic blocks into a homemade crusher, divide them into small pieces, put them in bags and stack them neatly. In the afternoon, he spends time patching the road. When he gets to the location where there are potholes, he limps to get a shovel, a hammer, asphalt... and drags his feet to put up a sign that says "Road patching, please drive slowly". Before "healing" the potholes, this "street doctor" uses a broom to clean the area to be patched. Then, he sprinkles oil on it, puts in the crushed plastic waste, and uses a hammer to pound it down so that the old and new asphalt layers stick together tightly. Seeing him diligently patching the road until his shirt is soaked, and seeing the drops of sweat falling down his sunburnt face makes my heart beat faster, I gasp in admiration. I feel that inside that tar-covered shirt is a heart burning with love. His hands are dirty but he is making life more beautiful and although his legs are limping, he is resilient and strides on a journey of kindness, admirable. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung - Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tra Noc Ward said: "Uncle Dan belongs to a poor household in the area. The locality highly appreciates his sense of responsibility for the common good of society. We always create conditions for him to carry out this meaningful work". Good things do not have to be fragrant, after the first days of self-reliance, many kind-hearted people have known about him. They have helped him, each person contributing a little to help him have more materials to patch the road. He confided: "I am happy with this meaningful job, so I have not stopped yet. Now, I just wish to have good health to continue patching roads to repay life. I do it from the heart and follow the 5 no criteria: do not sell, do not give, do not hire, do not ask and do not waste". Talking about his father, Mr. Nguyen Van Liet expressed: "Patching roads is my father's passion and wish, so I wholeheartedly support and take on the heavy work for him. I am proud of my father's kindness!". With the spirit of living beautifully for the community, in 2018, Mr. Nguyen Hong Dan was honored to receive the KOVA award - "Living beautifully" category, and was awarded a certificate of merit by the Minister of Transport (2021) for his many achievements in the emulation movement to ensure traffic order and safety, period 2016 - 2020, along with many other certificates of merit. But perhaps the greatest reward is the safety of people when traveling on flat roads. When receiving the KOVA award, he did not keep it for himself but used it to patch roads, because: "I think, if I take 20 million VND to repair my house, only my children and grandchildren will be happy, but if I use it to patch roads, the whole society will benefit". In fact, if we consider inspiration, I think anyone can, but to live beautifully and devote all their efforts to the community is not easy. When I met him, what remained in my mind was the image of a simple man, always thinking towards the community. Maybe on my volunteer journey, my wheelchair will pass through roads patched by his hands. Roads carrying the heart of a disabled person, simple but living beautifully in everyday life.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-khuet-tat-chua-lanh-nhung-con-duong-185241014183619281.htm