Mrs. Dao's smile

This is the story of Mrs. Dao Thi Nhat – 89 years old. She lives in the village of Nga Tan, Nga Son, Thanh Hoa Province. Thinking that I am her niece coming back to visit her, Mrs. Dao Thi Nhat held my hands tightly and asked me many questions. Although she cannot hear very well and her eyesight has almost growing dim, her voice is still very clear. My first impression of her is her jovial and warm character. She held my hands tightly and gave me a kiss. This made me reminisce and feel like I was sitting next to my own grandmother. Our conversation was very lively which made everyone quite surprised!

According to Mrs. Phuong, her daughter-in-law, “Her leg has been broken for 4 years now. It can’t be bent nor stretched even though it has been in a plaster cast. She can only sit in one place if there’s no one available who can help her move”. Apart from that, she has unfortunately also become senile over the past 10 years. She only remembers and talks about incidents that happened 75 years ago. Sometimes she can’t even remember if she has already eaten or not. Mrs. Dao Thi Nhat usually wakes up at 5 o’clock every morning, shouts aloud and talks to herself.

Mrs. Phuong and her husband have to work in the field everyday to earn a living, but they always arrange for someone to take care of his mother since they are afraid that she will get hurt because of her condition.

The village Nga Tan is famous for planting sedge. The family’s main job is weaving sedge mats. Their average income is 800.000 VND per month, and 1.000.000 VND if they are lucky. But the failure of crops for several years now, plus unstable prices, has made her family’s situation even more miserable. Though there are many difficulties, Mrs. Phuong and her husband always try to fulfill their obligation — of children taking care of parents.

Mrs. Phuong’s voice sounds heavy with sadness when she says, “I love her very much. The elderly must be looked after carefully, but my mother-in-law can only eat gruel for breakfast, some vegetable and fish for lunch but rarely eats any meat”.

The farmers have to work hard and live below the poverty line but they always show consideration and affection. Mrs. Phuong said with gratification: “We shouldn’t ask for anything from society but the consideration of people is truly precious. If only there’s something more we can do to help the elderly and their lives. I really want to thank the sponsors so much for their contribution”

She whispers to her mother-in-law: “You’ll have a new wheelchair mother”. A happy smile then lights up Mrs. Dao Thi Nhat’s face, sparkling and brilliant…

For only $500 you can sponsor HSCV's distribution of a container of 550 wheelchairs. This is less than $1 per wheelchair. HSCV receives our wheelchairs from Free Wheelchair Mission. They cover all expenses until the container reaches Vietnam. At that point HSCV works with a local partner to distribute the chairs. $500 will allow us to oversee the distribution of one container.
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Blogged by Ngo Thuy Hanh