Faith and love: that is what people with disabilities long for, so that they can step firmly into life. And that is also the message of the programme “Send to the One I Love”, which has just taken place in Ho Chi Minh City.
The sharing of mother and son Chung Tu moved many young people to tears – Photo: Nhu Lich
Outside it was cold and rainy, but the Doi Rat Dep clubhouse (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City) was packed to capacity. In the warm atmosphere, with gentle songs, life stories and heartfelt stories that seemed hard to tell were given a chance to pour out.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa, from Nghe An and a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, recalled her childhood: “Twice a day, my father would lift me onto a bicycle with a crossbar in front and take me to school. He said he was carrying me, but in fact he was walking beside the bicycle, because as he went he had to hold my frail legs so that they would not hit the spokes. On sunny days, the road was thick with dust flying everywhere, clinging to my father’s clothes and face. In the rainy season, my father had to carry me on his back, holding my feet tight and walking slowly along the slippery road. Sometimes, seeing my father’s back bent over, my heart ached, because it was carrying me that had made him that way!”.
This 21-year-old girl confided: “There were many times when I felt very discouraged. At those times, my father’s words would ring out behind me, encouraging me to reach further: Have you tried your very best? Every effort is duly rewarded. I believe you can do it!”.
Whether sad or happy, many stories “meet” in the same message: Love alone is not enough; parents also need understanding and trust in their child’s abilities. Only then can they create more conditions and opportunities for that child to live a full life.
“Mother, you have sacrificed so much for me and yet you have never asked me to repay you. You are the most wonderful, noblest and greatest mother. No one in this life can compare with you. No one is ready to protect me at any time. Oh, my beloved mother! If only I were brave enough to say the three words “I love you!” But I am not brave enough”. Nguyen Chung Tu, a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Sciences, wrote these heartfelt lines.
Tu said that since birth, both his legs have been weak. Every day, Tu went to school on his mother’s legs. On the night of the programme “Send to the One I Love”, Tu was brought there by his mother pushing his wheelchair. Mrs Chung Thi Do, Tu’s mother, said with emotion: “No one who unfortunately gives birth to a child born with a disability should abandon them”. And for Chung Tu, this was a special occasion, because he had overcome his shyness to utter the three loving words: I love you…
During the programme, many people boldly “stepped out” from the pages of their letters to interact with the audience. But there were also many who quietly kept their own private feelings to themselves.
“Loving too much, to the point of sheltering and overprotecting, or abandoning a child because of gossip, unwittingly creates obstacles that turn children with disabilities into people seen as incapable”. This is truly a heartfelt message from the people behind the programme!
Nhu Lich – http://www.thanhnien.com.vn