The tragedy of a single woman who "doesn't dare wear many clothes"

Before the Lunar New Year 2024, I visited and gave Mrs. Nho some Tet gifts. At that time, the weather was bitterly cold. Drizzle, winter winds blew into the empty house facing north. On the bed without a mattress, Mrs. Nho was wearing thin clothes, shivering, huddled under a moldy cotton blanket.

- Why don't you wear more clothes to keep warm?

- If you wear it a lot, you have to wash it a lot. If you wash it a lot, it will scold you!

Recently, I visited Mrs. Nho again. The house was still empty. Mrs. Nho was drenched in sweat, and above her was a small plastic ceiling fan, the kind used in butcher shops to chase away flies. I asked again:

- Why don't you change your clothes to cool down?

- If you change a lot, you have to wash a lot. If you wash a lot, they will scold you!

"It" in Mrs. Nho's words is her daughter Hoang Thi Nhung. Ms. Nhung was born in 2000, although healthy, her situation is as pitiful as her mother's. Ms. Nhung went to school but was illiterate. She has an abnormal mental state and is severely disabled. When she is sober, Ms. Nhung can cook and do laundry, but when she is unstable, she is argumentative, nagging, and verbally abusing, and the victim is her mother. Every time Ms. Nhung takes money to the market, Mrs. Nho has to write it down on paper, because she does not know the denomination of money, and forgets what she says. When it comes to drying clothes, there are iron hooks in the house but she does not know how to hang them. So the clothes are thrown wherever they are convenient, some hanging on the edge of the pool, some hanging on the fence.

Mrs. Nho was born in 1964 and used to have a husband in Cam Van commune, Cam Giang district. However, the couple divorced a long time ago and the husband passed away. Her husband's family has not visited her, despite the fact that Mrs. Nho and her children live on the love of their neighbors and the care of the government. Her illness has made it almost impossible for Mrs. Nho to walk by herself. Previously, she borrowed a wheelchair to use around the house, but it was taken back. Therefore, her life is mostly tied to bed. Completely unable to work, Mrs. Nho and her children depend on monthly allowances.

This year, she is 60 years old, but the farthest Mrs. Nho has traveled is from her home to Hai Duong General Hospital. In the referral form for medical examination and treatment under health insurance that Cam Giang District Medical Center sent to Hai Duong General Hospital, it is stated: The patient has been sick for many months, with numbness in limbs, difficulty moving and walking, fatigue; weakness in both lower limbs. Diagnosis: Spinal nerve root disease/lumbar disc herniation...

Mrs. Nho only hopes to have enough money for surgery to restore her ability to work, because now she and her daughter are barely surviving on the support of the village and the care of the commune. But she cannot live like that forever. She needs to stand up to work and take care of her daughter. She is also afraid that with Nhung's awareness of a 5-year-old child, her daughter could be abused at any time.

"I hope so, but when I heard that the surgery costs hundreds of millions of dong, I was helpless. It's lucky that my mother and I can save enough to buy vegetables and porridge every day. But the money for the surgery is nowhere to be found," Mrs. Nho cried.

According to Mr. Le Quy Hau, Cultural and Social Officer, Chairman of the Red Cross Society of Thach Loi Commune, Mrs. Nho’s life is truly tragic, not only because of her illness but also because of her constant worry about her abnormal daughter. From the house, the kitchen to the cow that Mrs. Nho and her daughter have, all are supported by the locality and departments. However, although the commune leaders and villagers are very concerned, they can only help a little.

"The cost of surgery in the hope that Mrs. Nho can recover her ability to work is beyond the local budget, so through Hai Duong Newspaper, the commune really hopes to receive support from organizations and philanthropists. A piece of food when hungry, a package when full is what Mrs. Nho and her children really need at this time," said Mr. Hau.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nho has been granted an account to receive monthly allowance at Agribank, account number: 2306231053141. Organizations and individuals interested in helping Ms. Nho and her children can also contact the author of the article: Nguyen Tien Huy, phone number 092.222.6444.