HEARTBREAKING STORY: 3 year-old boy takes care of his dying mom

Attention: Even though this blog is dedicated to Vietnamese Pop/Music, we thought it is critical to blog about this and help out those who desperately need help.

On a crumbling bed is the 25 year old nearly-dying woman. Her son, who is 3 years old, takes care of her  by massaging her arm and legs, prepares her milk, feeds her water and food every single day.

For almost a year, people that live in Phu Ngoc, Dinh Quan (Dong Nai) witness a poor little boy, Nguyen Gia Huy (3 years old) taking care of his mother whose right arm was amputated, left arm shrinking by day and is only laying in her bed waiting to die. All of this misfortunate happened when she was involved in a car accident. 

|Taking care of his mother after school- picture taken by Nguyen Ngoc

The story of the young mother, Nguyen Thi Tham, only 25 years old-- is heartbreaking.

She is the oldest in the family of 3 children, her father works in the forest at Phu Ngoc. Ever since little, Thi Tham had to take care of her siblings. After completing 9th grade, she was forced to drop out of school. Along with her parents, she helped working in the forest to earn money for the entire family. Like other families in the area, working in the forest was the only mean to survival. Although they work very hard, they are still living in poverty.

In 2001, Thi Tham packed and left to the Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh to work in a clothing factory, hoping to change her life and earning more money for her family, and sending her 2 younger siblings to school. The days she was away from home, Thi Tham met a man who was much older than her who also worked at the factory. Thi Tham's life lost all hopes and dreams when the man left her, after getting her pregnant. He told Thi Tham that he was going to come to her house and ask her to marry him, but he never came.

Heartbroken and ashamed, but loves the baby in her stomach, Thi Tham decided to work harder, earn  more money to take care of her baby. Awhile after she delivered the baby, she was forced to send her son back to her parents' house due to lack of income. The money she earns every month was very little, but she sent it all to her parents so they could buy her son food. Whenever she could, she would always ride her moped back home to visit her son.

In September of 2001, Thi Tham's life was forever changed when she was riding the moped home for a visit. She was hit by another moped, rolled off on the road, and unfortunately, was hit by a big truck. The accident caused both of her arms to be critically injured, her legs were broken and her vertebrae completely broken. After 4 long months being treated at Cho Ray hospital, going through many big surgeries, the doctors could save her life--however, her right arm was amputated, left arm is shrinking to the bones, and both of her legs are now paralyzed. From a young beautiful working woman, Thi Tham has became a disabled person, forced to be in her bed 24/7.

The 4 months Thi Tham was treated at the hospital had cost her parents tons of money. They were already poor to start out with, but now, they can barely survive. They sold whatever they could in the house to help pay for the surgeries. Even though they are poor, but they cannot sit and watch their own daughter to die. Inside a small house (shack), Thi Tham's mom, Nguyen Thi Minh Thanh (60 years old) cries out loud for the unfortunate life of her daughter. Thi Tham's son, Gia Huy, even though only 3 years old..loves his mother very much. Everyday after coming back from preschool, he surrounds his mom. On a small and crumbling bed, Gia Huy helps massaging his mom's hands and legs, and gets her whatever she needs.

The family's neighbor has shared that, "Even though he is very young, but he loves his Mom a lot. When his mom is in pain, he runs around to take care of her, just like an adult. He even comforts her to ease her pain." There are days Thi Tham wants to die because she no longer wants to be her family's burden, but because of the encouragements she gets from her 3 year-old son, she rids the thought of dying. Whenever Gia Huy hears other people discussing about "death", Gia Huy would always hugs his mom and says, "My mom will not die. In the future, I will be good, study good, make a lot of money to put back Mom's arm. Mom cannot die, Mom has to live with me."

Thi Tham's Mother, Thi Tham and her son, Gia Huy

After a year running around to find money for Thi Tham's medicine & other necessities, the old couple is running out of solutions. They had already sold whatever they could to buy Thi Tham medicines. Their heart breaks when they look at their dying daughter, but their heart aches more when thinking of their poor 3 year-old grandson.  Thi Tham's mom says that, "My husband and I are like golden leaves on a tree, not knowing when we will be fallen down. At the time, we only think of taking care of our dying daughter and worries for Gia Huy."

The county of village Phu Ngoc, Dong Nai has shared that ever since the car accident, Thi Tham and her son Gia Huy has been placed into the Poverty Organization because the family is extremely poor and truly needs the assistance from everyone. 

Readers out there that want to help Thi Tham, her son Gia Huy and her parents- Please donate to : Nguyen Thi Minh Thanh (Thi Tham's mother) at 17/2, ap 7, xa Phu Ngoc - Huyen Dinh Quan- Dong Nai. Phone number is 590-720-503-8027.

Nguyen Thi Minh Thanh's bank contact information:  01657.448.863.

Disclaimer: I did not write this story, I only translated it. The story is found on VNExpress. I only found out about this when  I saw singer Ho Le Thu's Facebook status this morning. Singer Ho Le Thu is very kind-hearted and is calling out for help. Anyone wants to help Thi Tham and her family, feel free to contact the number/address above. I also know that chi Ho Le Thu is going to Vietnam soon and hoping to visit the family- it would be very generous and kind of you to donate money to the family. Anything helps! If you cannot support them financially, you can support them emotionally--by sending out love notes, encouraging cards, ect..