Overcoming adversity

“My parents named me Phuc Duc to remind me that: If you want to be blessed, you must live virtuously,” Nguyen Phuc Duc begins his life story with a belief forged through adversity: As long as you live kindly, any loss can turn into strength to move forward.

Born in 1997, in Kha Son commune (Phu Binh district, Thai Nguyen province), Phuc Duc grew up with a healthy body like any other child. At the age of 12, while playing, while washing his hands near the newly built water tank, Duc was unfortunately crushed by a piece of brick that collapsed on him, causing his right arm to be crushed.

His family took him to many hospitals for treatment, but due to the severity of the injury, doctors were forced to perform amputation surgery. “Waking up in the hospital and learning that I had permanently lost my right arm was a huge shock to me at that time,” Duc shared.

Since then, Duc has become withdrawn and afraid to interact with people. In class, the difference in appearance made him the target of teasing. “Once my friends called me a ‘penguin’, which was meant to be a joke but haunted me for a long time. Since then, I always wear long-sleeved shirts to class, hoping that no one would notice my arms anymore,” Duc shared.

The turning point for Duc came in 2016, when he had just graduated from high school and was invited by his friends to join the Thai Nguyen Provincial Red Cross Youth Volunteer Club (now the Thai Nguyen Provincial Red Cross Youth Association under the Thai Nguyen Provincial Red Cross Association). Having a fear of communication and being wary of crowds, Duc initially just sat on the sidelines and observed. After that, he was gradually moved by the friendliness and friendliness of the members.

“For the first time, I felt completely accepted, no one looked at me with pity or judgment. Everyone worked together, learned, shared and I saw that I was not useless, I could help society. Therefore, I decided to step out of my 'dark zone',” Duc confided.

Recalling his early days of volunteering and donating blood, Duc shared: “I had a lot of difficulty moving around. Because of my hand disability, I couldn’t ride a bike and had to rely on public transportation or help from friends. Many activities that required physical strength were beyond my ability. But I always held the view that I should do as much as I could, as long as I had a sincere heart and tried hard, no matter how much I could do, it would be meaningful.”

From a reserved volunteer, Phuc Duc became active and proactive in charity activities. He gradually matured and was assigned important tasks in his club. In 2020, he became the Vice President of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Red Cross Youth Association.

9 years, 33 whole blood donations

In his volunteer journey, voluntary blood donation is the field that left the deepest impression on Phuc Duc. He said: “In 2016, the first time my friends invited me to donate blood, I was quite nervous. But after donating, I felt very happy because I knew I had done something useful for others. Since then, I often joke that I am 'addicted' to donating blood. Every 3 months, I participate once. Up to now, I have donated a total of 33 times.”

Instead of donating blood alone, the young man from Thai Nguyen actively promoted and encouraged many people to participate. He said that 9 years ago, the blood donation movement in the locality still faced many prejudices, people were afraid, and even reacted harshly. Duc recalled: “Some people scolded me for being a fraud, chased me away, and said that donating blood was tiring and harmful to health. Many volunteers were even forbidden by their parents.”

Phuc Duc actively participates in humanitarian blood donation. Photo: NVCC

But instead of giving up, Duc and his volunteers chose to persistently cycle from house to house to spread the word and promote the message through social media. Images and articles telling stories about blood donors gradually permeated the community.

“I am very proud to see that awareness of voluntary blood donation in society has been raised. Seeing people more enthusiastic about blood donation activities, I have more motivation to continue contributing. For me, donating blood is not only saving lives but also a way to spread human values, arousing the sense of social responsibility in each individual,” he shared.

Carrying the flame of youth, in addition to donating blood, Phuc Duc also actively participates in charity activities such as: "Green Sunday", "Green Summer", supporting people to install VNeID; participating in competitions such as "Light to the Way", learning about the sea and islands,...

In particular, when witnessing his hometown suffer heavy damage due to the impact of super typhoon Yagi (2024), Phuc Duc stayed up for nearly 3 consecutive days to participate in supporting and supplying food to people trapped in flooded areas.

The beauty of the crescent moon

With his continuous efforts, Nguyen Phuc Duc was honored to be recognized as one of the 100 outstanding blood donors nationwide in 2023, and was directly met, encouraged and commended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. In 2024, he continued to be awarded the "Beautiful Youth" award organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union. In addition, Duc was also honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, a Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society , a Certificate of Merit from the Provincial Red Cross Society, etc.

Although he participates in many extracurricular activities, Duc always arranges his time reasonably to ensure his academic results. He shared: “I often plan and manage my time to maintain a balance between studying and Union and Association activities. I prioritize choosing activities that match my goals and interests, and carefully calculate the resources and time I can spend on each task.”

Thanks to that, in 2023, Phuc Duc achieved the title of "Advanced Youth Following Uncle Ho's Teachings" at the Thai Nguyen provincial level, and was a delegate to the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Student Association, term 2023 - 2028. In 2024, he continued to be recognized with the title of "5 Good Students" at the provincial level.

Enthusiastic in volunteer activities, active in studying with many meaningful awards, Duc feels very happy and proud. “During his lifetime, Uncle Ho once advised: Every good person, every good deed is a beautiful flower, our whole nation is a beautiful flower forest. Out there, there are many people who are dedicating themselves to the Fatherland. Therefore, I am willing to be a small flower contributing to that flower forest,” Duc was moved.

Nguyen Phuc Duc at the Gala "Youth Live Beautifully" organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union in 2024. Photo: NVCC

Mr. Le Van Hieu - Secretary of the Youth Union, President of the Student Association of Thai Nguyen University shared: “Phuc Duc is a beautiful model of the spirit of dedication, overcoming circumstances to spread humanistic values ​​in the community. Not only studying hard, Duc is also devoted to every volunteer activity, always ready to sacrifice personal interests for the collective. I hope that Duc will continue to keep that flame, constantly cultivate, and spread the inspiration of a beautiful life to more young people”.

TRAN HAI LY

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/nguyen-phuc-duc-tam-guong-truyen-cam-hung-cho-nhieu-nguoi-tre-829827