Old age, loneliness, and illness.

Ms. Huong needs help.

The rafters and doors were infested with termites, the walls were bare and only temporarily covered with a few pieces of cloth, and on the rickety bed lay a tattered mat. A few old clothes hung in the corner. The only valuable possession was an old altar cabinet. That was the overall scene of Mrs. Le Thi Huong's house.

Without a husband, children, or land, and with her parents deceased, Mrs. Huong lives alone and is battling cirrhosis of the liver. Due to poverty and lack of access to medical care, she relies on traditional herbal remedies to manage her condition, but a tumor has developed in her liver. Mrs. Huong confided: “A few years ago, I went for a check-up, but the doctor said surgery wasn’t possible because of my weak health and old age. Now, whenever I go to sell goods at the market, I walk because the bumpy roads cause me pain…”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, Ms. Huong's sister-in-law, recounted: "Ms. Huong had no assets whatsoever. She would go out to pick vegetables and gather snails to make a living from 6 or 7 in the morning, and around 11 p.m., she would walk about 4 kilometers from her house to Vi Thanh market to sell them. Sometimes she wouldn't get home until 11 p.m. The local community and neighbors around here helped her out with rice and monthly allowances."

Mr. Tran Ngoc Huong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Branch of Area 14, Vi Tan Ward, said: “Ms. Huong is in a particularly difficult situation, suffering from illness and living alone. The local government and the Party Branch always pay attention to and support her. Every month, Party members in the branch voluntarily contribute to share some of her burden. However, resources are limited. We hope that philanthropists will join hands with the local authorities to help alleviate her hardships.”

For any assistance to Ms. Le Thi Huong, please contact: Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Secretary of the Party Branch of Area 14, Vi Tan Ward, Can Tho City (local representative), phone: 0907.507.969; or the Editorial Office of Can Tho Newspaper and Radio & Television, address: 24 Tran Van Hoai Street, Ninh Kieu Ward, Can Tho City.

Phone: (0292) 3830098.

Text and photos: MONG TOAN

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/tuoi-gia-neo-don-benh-tat-a199423.html