As a result of Agent Orange, from the moment he was born, Dao Viet Anh (Cu Ni Commune, Eakar District, Dak Lak Province) has lived with impairments. His family’s wholehearted efforts did not give him the healthy body they had hoped for, but they helped him feel the meaning of life and of his presence in this world. And from that, he gained more resilience and faith to continue on the difficult, challenging path of integration.
Happiness at standing on my own two feet
Dao Viet Anh’s family originally lived in Ha Tinh. Less fortunate than his peers, from the moment he was born, he lived with impairments caused by Agent Orange passed on from his father. Viet Anh’s arms were paralysed, his legs were contracted and his health was weak. Pitying their little child, Viet Anh’s parents sold all their possessions to pay to take him for treatment at hospitals inside and outside the province. Viet Anh recalled: “For over a year, my parents took turns staying with me at Nghe Tinh Hospital II (now in Ha Tinh Province), but my health hardly improved, and the doctors could not save my limbs. The family’s finances were exhausted, and the thatched house with earthen walls left by my grandparents was left empty. In difficult times, my parents decided to leave their homeland and move to the Central Highlands to start a new life, hoping to escape poverty”.
In the poor, wild land, Viet Anh’s parents devoted all their strength to clearing land and working the fields, hoping to find a livelihood. Viet Anh’s elder sister, then only 12 years old, had to leave school to help her parents and look after her younger brother with a disability when her parents were away. As Viet Anh grew older, he became more aware that he had to be independent; although he could not yet help his parents earn a living, he could ease some of the burden on his sister and parents if he could look after himself. So he began to learn to walk. His legs, which were bent and could hardly support his body, began to be brought under Viet Anh’s control. After much pain and many falls, the boy’s perseverance paid off. Although he could only shuffle along and was not yet as steady as others, he was truly very happy. For the first time, he could stand and walk on his own two feet, no longer completely dependent on others. Viet Anh practised more and more persistently, his legs gradually grew stronger, and his toes gradually became more flexible.
And reaching towards an independent life
When he reached school age, like other normal children, Viet Anh was very eager to go to school. But he was also aware that it would be very difficult. There were times when he felt life was truly unfair, and he only wished a fairy would come to help him realise his dream. But then, when he heard about the example of teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky, who had no arms and wrote with his feet, Viet Anh gained more motivation and resilience to strive. “There is no supernatural force here, and no magic, unless I strive with all my heart and perseverance”, Viet Anh thought.
With both arms paralysed and unable to hold a pen, Viet Anh followed teacher Ky’s example, learning to use his toes to grip a piece of charcoal or broken brick in the kitchen to scrawl each letter. That was really not simple at all. His legs were already contracted, and learning to walk had seemed beyond his strength; now he also had to hold a pen and write? “There were times when I practised writing and my legs were exhausted and cramped with pain, tears and snot all over my face. There were times when I was tired and wanted to give up, but thinking of my parents, my sister and teacher Ky, I tried even harder”…
After more than a year of diligent practice, the first letters became round and clear. Only then did Anh dare ask his parents to take him to school to ask to study. But Viet Anh’s excitement at going to school had barely been expressed before it was dashed. The school refused to admit Viet Anh, fearing he would not be able to keep up. Even so, the boy did not lose heart. “When I was not admitted, every day I still went to school, sat outside the window listening to the teachers and spelling along with the other pupils, and in the evening I practised reading and writing what I had heard”, Anh said with a mischievous smile.
the 4th National Conference to Honour People with Disabilities, Orphans and Outstanding Sponsors – 2013
Moved by his eagerness to learn, teacher Vu Thi Gai, a teacher at Be Van Dan Primary School, persuaded the school board to allow him to study. In the early days of school, because he could not sit and write like the other pupils, the teacher asked for Viet Anh to be given a mat to sit and write on. The happiness of going to school, sitting in class with his friends, and the help of his teachers and friends gave Anh more motivation to do his best in his studies. Viet Anh’s academic results improved steadily, and he received scholarships for studious pupils from a number of organisations.
After relentless efforts, Viet Anh finally completed high school and passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Architectural Engineering at Da Nang College of Technology. On the day Anh left for school, the whole family was as worried as they were happy, not knowing how he would manage living far from home on his own. “But with the help of my friends, I gradually got through the course very smoothly. Each semester, I received scholarships from the school, from study promotion organisations and certificates of merit for outstanding students in the whole faculty”, Viet Anh shared.
After graduating, Viet Anh returned to his hometown; although work was sometimes difficult, he always persevered. “I think that although my body has impairments, as long as my mind is still healthy and clear, I can do anything. After so many harsh trials in life, I have finally been able to live confidently and independently through my own labour. That achievement was not mine alone. I am very grateful to my parents, my sister, my teachers and my friends, who wholeheartedly helped me overcome difficulties. I will try even harder to repay everyone and build a better life for myself.”
With his resilience and will to rise up, in 2013, Viet Anh was honoured to represent thousands of people with disabilities in Dak Lak Province at the 4th National Conference to Honour People with Disabilities, Orphans and Outstanding Sponsors.
(According to the Sponsors’ Magazine)