11:02, 17/02/2022

Poor disabled mother takes care of her son with brain injury

Nguyen Song Thuong (born in 2004, living in Lam Son Village, Ninh Sim Commune, Ninh Hoa Town) has suffered from brain injury after a traffic accident over three weeks ago. Thuong is being treated at the Department of Orthopedics of Khanh Hoa Provincial Hospital of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation. His mother, Nguyen Thi Phuong (born in 1973), has been weary from lack of sleep, taking care of Thuong with a hope that his son will recover soon.
 

Nguyen Song Thuong (born in 2004, living in Lam Son Village, Ninh Sim Commune, Ninh Hoa Town) has suffered from brain injury after a traffic accident over three weeks ago. Thuong is being treated at the Department of Orthopedics of Khanh Hoa Provincial Hospital of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation. His mother, Nguyen Thi Phuong (born in 1973), has been weary from lack of sleep, taking care of Thuong with a hope that his son will recover soon.
 
Thuong got into a motorcycle accident on January 26 while he was going to the place to practice unicorn dance to perform during Tet 2022. The people involving in the accident ran away while Thuong was unconscious. He after that was carried to the provincial General Hospital. He was diagnosed with brain injury and was transferred to the provincial Hospital of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation for physical therapy, acupuncture, and brain tonic. However, until now, Thuong hasn’t been well yet and has been suffering sleep-wake disturbance.
 
 
Phuong and his son are in need of help
Phuong and his son are in need of help
 
Phuong suffered from polio when she was three years old, causing her left leg to atrophy, making it difficult to walk. She was married at the age of 30, but her husband left home when their son was born. Since then, Phuong has raised her son by herself. She earns the living by sewing clothes, earning from VND50 to 70,000/day. In order to relieve the burden of his mother, Thuong quit school in the middle of tenth grade to work in a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. The outbreak of COVID-19 forced him to stop working and return home. Before the accident, he had intended to learn to become a barber. His future looks bleak because nothing is certain about his recovery.  
 
According to a doctor of the Department of Orthopedics of the trovincial Hospital of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation, Thuong needs long-term follow-up because his traumatic brain injury has led to paralysis of the right side of his body and urinary incontinence. Currently, Thuong has awareness but cannot speak. It is difficult to be certain about his recovery; the cost of treatment will be very expensive.
Reportedly, Phuong is paying VND1.500,000/month for the loan of VND80,000,000 borrowed from the social policy bank in the middle of 2021 to manage their life. Now, she has to take care of Thuong and manage to afford daily needs and the cost of treatment. The burden is heavy on the shoulders of the poor and disabled mother.
 
As said by Le Thien Hoang, vice-chairman of Ninh Sim Commune People's Committee, Phuong and her son are in extremely difficult circumstance. The monthly allowance for disabled person of VND540,000 to which Phuong is entitled is a very small amount. Hopefully, people knowing the circumstance of Phuong’s family will give support to help them deal with their difficulties. 
 
People who want to help Phuong’s family can contact Nguyen Thi Phuong (tel: 0944.697.980), or Khanh Hoa Newspaper office (tel: 0258.3822019) at 77 Yersin St., Nha Trang City. Support can also be sent to Khanh Hoa Newspaper’s bank account at Vietcombank Nha Trang (account number 0581000765262).
 
Ha Duong
Translated by H.N