There are lives like this!
– Is your mom home?
– No, not yet! Mom is catching snails!
The door quickly closed after this conversation with a 7-year-old boy.
We had to drive around a nearby field to find his mother. Ms. Hang is 35 years old. She got married but was not happy. Not long after she got married, she returned home to live in her mother’s hometown. She gave birth and her family members had to plead with her husband to sign the birth certificate for the child. He left after he signed the certificate, leaving her with a child to raise on her own.
The baby was born healthy, but soon he contracted pneumonia. All alone, she had to get him medicine and treatment. The mother and son have spent more days at the hospital than at home. Because he was in the hospital for a long time, money was very tight, so she brought only rice to eat. Everyone felt sorry for her because if she eats only rice, she will not have milk to feed the child. The people at the hospital gave her some soup and meat to help her.
Over the past seven years, the mother and son live in a small house with a patched roof. In the summer, it is hot like fire! When it rains, it pours in the house! They have to put raincoats on top of the beds. She choked up as she was sharing the story with us. She said she was stressed because her son was sick with all kinds of problems like stomach, colon, and acid reflux. The mother and son take turns going to the hospital and buying medicine. She said, “During the day, I catch snails and then I go buy medicine for my child because when the weather is cold, he’s sick again! I do not know when we can fix the house. I do not know where to look for help when my parents are old, my child is sick, and I get sick because of too much worrying and suffering!”
What will the future be like for the mother and son if they only rely on catching snails for survival?
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THE HOUSE OF TWO HEARTS
The image of the countryside is very dear to us. When it comes to the countryside, not only do we think about its culture but also its history, including the joy and sadness.
Along the road to Lang countryside, in TrucChinh, TrucNinh district, Nam Dinh province, perhaps no one is stopping in front of a broken-down tiled house, located between two luxury villas. At first glance, it looks like a piece of land with a house that has been deserted for a long time. Stepping into the courtyard, there’s nothing valuable. The main door frames and windows are connected by pieces of sapwood and green moss. Mr. and Mrs. Khoát, 88 years-old, live in this ramshackle house. The grandparents are filled with sadness. They have to use sticks to walk around because their backs are curved. They are desperate for help. Their illnesses and poverty have caused a burden for their children.As people who have witnessed the suffering of poverty for decades, until now, the grandparents have a hard time with their lives both struggling physically and mentally, even near death, they still have debt. This couple has struggled with poverty for decades. Now, struggling with physical and mental challenges at the end of their lives, they are still in debt. Each time she talked about the family’s life, she could not hold back tears, both grandparents’ eyes looked far away as if there was no more hope in life.Reflecting on the struggles and misery of life, all the bitterness and suffering that the grandparents have gone through, she shares:
They have six children, four boys and two girls. All six of them are married but very poor and cannot afford to help their parents. Currently, there are three grandsons living with them. Their father (the eldest son) died young, and their mother disappeared, leaving the children behind for the grandparents to raise. Because they were born into a difficult family situation, they only finished 6th grade. Their childhood was deprived, not only physically but also emotionally. Due to the family struggles, the grandsons left for Hanoi to find work. They work wherever they can find a job. Sometimes they come back to visit the grandparents for a while and then leave again.
The older they get, the weaker they are with more illnesses. The grandpa had a stroke, so he is in and out of consciousness, sitting around or doing light work for the house. As for the grandma, she just had surgery to remove gallstones. Her body is still weak, aching everywhere, and has difficulty walking. Their meals consist of a little boiled water spinach, but when they are too tired, they only eat rice with a few grains of salt. In the past, the grandparents also received a little allowance from the poor family assistance program, but ever since the grandparents received elderly funds, their allowance got cut. Their monthly salary is only 500,000 VND (= 23 USD), not enough money to buy medicine they need. The grandparents are now struggling with debtover 60,000,000 VND (= 2,700 USD) because of grandma’s surgery.
In such difficult times, the people that the grandparents need most, are not just their family or friends, but the kindness of others. Even if it is only an old shirt or a single meal, every little thing is very precious. “One bite when hungry is equal to a whole meal when full”. May the grandparents live the rest of their days in peace and happiness together!
