Dong Thap Having lost her father to cancer, Pham Thi Thien Hong, 7 years old, now worries about when her mother is away from home to go to the hospital for treatment, afraid that she will also leave her.
Thien Hong's stilt house is located in the middle of the field in Tan My commune, Dong Thap province. The wind is blowing these days. Floodwaters began to rise along the dirt road in front of the house. During the rainy days two years ago, Thien Hong's father was often absent from home to treat rectal cancer. Back then, I often sat on the stairs, waiting for my dad to come home.
Then one day, a relative took Hong to a relative's house and told her to stay there to play. A few days later, the child was picked up and found out that his father had passed away. Afraid that I would be sad, the whole family did not show their faces the last three times.
Since then, Hong began to be more attached to her mother, especially when she was also seriously ill. Diabetic complications caused her to have one leg amputated, requiring assistance or crutches to walk.
In the last days of August, Hong returned to school for second grade. As soon as I got home, I stayed by my mother's hospital bed. I talked about my friends, my new homeroom teacher, and the new notebooks and books I bought.
Since her leg was amputated, Hong's mother was sad and quiet. Seeing that, the baby wants to be with her mother even more, tell her what she has learned, and hope to see her happy. I also take part in washing dishes, sweeping the floor and often massage her feet.
Hong is also very self-aware in studying, without needing anyone to tutor or remind her. Last year, I was also commended and received an end-of-year award for outstanding student achievements. "I want to study well to make my mother happy," she said.
Seeing that her child understood, Mrs. Tran Thi Be Chinh, 49 years old, was both sad and heartbroken, eager to go to work to support the family financially. Previously, even though my family was not well-off, we did not owe anyone anything. Her husband sells lottery tickets, she makes bottles and scraps. The income is not much, but the savings are still enough to raise three children. Hong's brother and sister also graduated from school, found jobs, and helped the family.
Two years ago, Ms. Chinh's husband was diagnosed with cancer, and the money he had saved for many years was gone. To continue treatment, the family was forced to sell three square meters of land. The day he passed away, the family was saddled with nearly 100 million VND in debt.
The day he passed away, she collapsed, diabetes struck, and complications occurred within a few short months. At the end of last year, one of her legs was amputated, and the other leg also often aches. It's difficult to walk and can't do anything. "I am now like a burden to my children," Ms. Chinh said.
Taking turns taking care of his sick father and mother, Pham Hung - Mrs. Chinh's son, 30 years old, also lost his job. Seeing this, Ms. Chinh's daughter, who is married, still comes back to take care of her, helping with some of the medical expenses. Hung himself also practices online trading to earn money from the fields.
Currently, in addition to the debt of more than 100 million that cannot be paid, my mother's monthly medical allowance is about 2 million VND. Hung plans to wait until his mother's health is better so she can find a job and have an income to take care of her family and youngest Hong's education.
"The day my father passed away, I still didn't feel secure that Hong was still too young. He told me to try to take care of him," Hung recalled.
In the middle of a lonely stilt house before the flooding season, a young student still goes to school every day, then hangs out next to her mother with one leg. I don't fully understand the debt, medical bills or hardships my family is carrying. I just try to study well, help my mother with small things and hope she is always healthy.
