
She has been studying for the last 6 years while taking care of her sick mother – Photo: THAI BA DUNG
Ai Ni was sitting on the ground, on her two soft arms was the tired body of her mother who was slowly dying day by day.
“Even breathing makes me feel tired. But I still have tears in my eyes that I can live another day, so I try my best little by little. Ne also my mother Told her to live for me, waiting for the moment when I go to work in school.” student, then after graduation, go to work and give my mother my first salary” – Mrs. Le Thi Tham, 52 years old, mother of Le Thi Ai Ni – a freshman at Da Nang University of Economics – gasping Said.
I am studying while taking care of my parents.
Nuns are as small as a bottle, but their physical strength and willpower are extraordinary. Since the day her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and after a long journey of survival for the last 6 years, Nee has been studying alone and taking care of her mother.
The heavy burden on a student seemed unbearable. Three years ago, Nee’s father, Mr. Le Van Trieu, fell seriously ill. All four sides of the house are dilapidated and the future is unclear.
Nee rode down the slope on the border of Da Nang city and Quang Nam province on her loud Cup 50 motorcycle to welcome us to her home. This spunky girl, who always has a bright smile on her face, only meets him for the first time. Some people think that she has a hard life, she has to study and take care of both her father and mother who are seriously ill.
Nee’s Level 4 home is located near the road through the center of Dien Tien Commune, Dien Banh town (Quang Nam). During the peak days of the scorching heat wave in the central region, waves of heat poured from the corrugated iron roof like a furnace.
Ni has been officially informed about passing the International Relations major at Da Nang University of Economics and is eagerly waiting for the admission time. It was an important and memorable moment in her life, but Nee’s heart was also filled with worries.
The new student was talking with us in the courtyard when a man with almost white hair came there. This person looked at Nee without blinking, looked at the guests who came to the house. Nee said he was her father.
“Earlier, my father was the breadwinner in the family, single-handedly cultivating 4 acres of paddy, raising a herd of pigs and selling groceries to support my two sisters and take care of my mother. But perhaps he Worked very hard, so 3 years ago my father fell. Fell while going to work, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and abnormal mood” – Nee said.
When Ni’s father was asked where his daughter would get money when she went to school in the coming days, he suddenly started crying.
“I had to leave half of the house to an acquaintance and then pay money in advance to survive on nothing for the last few years. In the next few days, when I go to school, I will also have to collect money from there. “We fall,” said Mr. Trieu.
Nee told that since the day her father fell ill, he remained lying on the bed in the corner of the house the whole day. Due to fatigue he was unable to even hold a broom to clean the floor. But still it was fate.
Last year, in extreme emotional excitement due to illness, Ba Ni got into a fight with a group of youths from the village and was beaten up to 14%. When a group of youths get trapped in prison, Mr. Trieu becomes even more vulnerable.
“Every day, relatives of the young men who beat my husband would come and scold and blame me. I was also very sad, but my husband was not normal, so I was helpless. Once he had a stroke and he Grabbed me up to the throat. Wanted to kill me, I had to crawl back to my mother’s house to seek shelter” – Ms Tham – Mr Trieu’s wife said weakly.
Laughter remains…

Ai Nee is always smiling – Photo: Thai Ba Dung
Despite her harsh circumstances and fate, during her three years of high school, Ni Le Que was a good student at Don High School for the Gifted. The school is 40 km from home, so she has to live in a hostel, but Nee has to move around almost constantly as her parents battle illness. Ma Ni has late-stage thymus cancer, which has metastasized to her lungs, and is bedridden.
Nee led us into the dark room where her mother was lying. Mrs. Tham was exhausted and all she had was a dry skeleton. When the tumor had compressed her lungs she could barely sleep like a normal person.
“Before I got sick, my mother was tall and fat, weighing more than 50 kg, but now she weighs only 30 kg. Every day I spend time sitting next to my mother, feeding her spoonfuls of rice. Past I, my mother used to hold the baby in her lap and feed him little by little milk. One spoonful of milk and now my mother is slowly lying on my arm…” – Nee started crying bitterly.
We tried to find another story to help the poor student forget her tears. Next to the desk next to the old lime wall hang three sets of Ao Dai, two new shirts and a backpack bag that still smells of new clothes. Nee’s confession made us sad:

Ai Nee’s “Saving” canvas backpack for college – Photo: Thai Ba Dung
“The Ao Dai and clothes I wear belong to my sister, who is now married and lives in Da Nang. As for the backpack, the school asked for a scholarship and gave it to me, so I decided to wait for it.” I’ve had it with me all year. I can go to college to use it.” “For the past few years, I’ve been using charity items to go back to school, not buying new things,” Nee said.
Ni said that in the past, her family was always happy, warm and full of laughter. But since my mother was diagnosed with her terminal cancer, and two years later, Trieu’s father also became seriously ill, there were only groans of pain and illness in the house and complaints of neighbors sending their children to jail.
The rest is happiness, smiles and optimism of a good daughter who loves her parents with all her heart.
ni’s hope
Mrs Tham said she was very tired, but because she loved Nee, mother and child had agreed to work together for each other, so she tried to breathe to live. “Every minute I live is because of Nee.” He said and then looked at his daughter. Nee shed tears, took her mother in her arms and said that she would also study for her.
“I will try, mother” – Nee started crying bitterly.
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