Sons carry illness, old mothers carry worries

As the main breadwinner in the family and the support of his elderly mother at the end of her life, when he discovered his illness, Mr. Than could do nothing because his family was in such difficult circumstances.

Being the youngest in a family of 4 siblings and unmarried, Than lives with his parents. In 2024, his father died of tuberculosis, so now there are only the mother and son living together in a 50m2 charity house that ^has seriously degraded. When his father got sick, the family's assets were gradually used up to pay for treatment, but he still could not survive. Not long after his father passed away, Than also discovered he was sick.

Feeling tired and having difficulty breathing for a long time, Mr. Than went to a local medical facility for a check-up and was diagnosed with lung disease. Due to his family's difficult circumstances, Mr. Than only bought medicine to take at home. The disease was not treated promptly, so it became more and more serious. When his health was weakened and he could not bear it, Mr. Than went to a higher-level hospital for a check-up and was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the meninges and lungs. The disease was severe and his mental state was depressed, causing Mr. Than to be sometimes conscious and sometimes unconscious, unable to take care of himself and had to rely on the help of his family members.

Nieng Thi So Cum talks about the times she accompanied her younger brother to the hospital for treatment.

As the main breadwinner in the family and the support of his elderly mother in the last years of her life, when he discovered his illness, Mr. Than could not do anything. When he was still healthy, Mr. Than worked for hire to support his mother and son. Therefore, in recent months, when he was seriously ill and could not work, Mr. Than and his mother had to rely on the support of relatives and people in the area around their house. “I also really want to work, but I have to stay in bed with my illness and have nothing at home, so I am very sad. Today this person gives me a bunch of vegetables, tomorrow that person gives me a bag of rice… Before, I worked for hire and had money, I did whatever I was hired to do, sometimes I worked on trees, sometimes I drove a tractor to earn money to take care of my mother and son, but now…”, smiling sadly and leaving the sentence unfinished, Mr. Than looked far away, without direction like his life at the moment.

As the breadwinner of the family, when he got sick and had to be hospitalized, life became even more difficult for Mr. Than and his mother. All the money they had saved up was spent on the hospitalizations, but it was not enough, and they had to borrow more. Currently, the family has borrowed 30 million VND from relatives to treat Mr. Than's illness and is no longer able to borrow any more.

Since Than got sick, his siblings had to accompany him to the hospital for treatment and take turns staying home to take care of his younger brother and his elderly mother. Meanwhile, they already had their own families and had difficult lives, having to work for hire, so they could only help with the care. Than's mother was also sick and unable to work, only able to stay at home, so life for the two of them was quite difficult.

Nieng Thi So Cum's older sister shared: "Every time Than is hospitalized, my younger brother Lam Van Linh and I have to go together to take care of him. I alone cannot help Than walk, and if Lam Van Linh goes, he is illiterate, so we have to go together. I just hope that Than has money for treatment to cure his illness. He is still young, has a future...".

Accompanying the people with the motto "No one is left behind", the departments, branches and organizations of Tan Tien commune (Bu Dop) have also regularly visited and mobilized benefactors to support necessities for Mr. Than and his mother.

Sympathizing with Mr. Than's difficult situation, the local government has also mobilized philanthropists to support necessities, however, this is only a short-term solution. Meanwhile, if Mr. Than's illness is not treated, it will have unpredictable complications.

Head of Soc Ne hamlet, Mr. Pham Hung Cuong said: Mr. Than's household is a poor Khmer ethnic household in the locality. His father died of tuberculosis, now Mr. Than also has the disease so it is very difficult. We hope for the support of benefactors so that Mr. Than can have money for treatment and the family can overcome difficulties and move forward.

In the dilapidated charity house, the image of the old mother is decrepit, and the son who is the pillar of the family is lying in one place like a flickering lamp in the wind, in great need of sharing from benefactors. "A piece of food when hungry is worth a package when full", we hope to receive love from organizations, individuals, and businesses inside and outside the province to help Mr. Than continue his treatment and recover soon.

Hopefully, with the spirit of sharing and helping, the community and philanthropists will join hands to help Mr. Than have the opportunity to receive treatment to recover quickly, be healthy enough to go to work so that he can support himself and take care of his elderly and weak mother.

The program "Sharing the pain" organized by Binh Phuoc Radio - Television and Newspaper (BPTV) in coordination with the Association for the Support of the Disabled - Orphans and Poor Patients of the province will organize a connection at 9:00 a.m. on April 9 at the house of Mr. Lam Van Than in Soc Ne hamlet, Tan Tien commune, Bu Dop district.

For all information and support contributions, please contact directly the Readers - Documents - Social Work Department, BPTV. Or editor Ngoc Que (phone number/Zalo 0918.094429), account number 0918094429 (Nam A Bank, Binh Phuoc branch). When transferring money, donors please clearly state your full name, address and content: Support CSND T4 Mr. Lam Van Than. The list of supporters will be updated publicly and transparently by BPTV in the humanitarian television program "Sharing the pain" broadcast on May 13, 2025.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/250/171198/con-trai-ganh-benh-me-gia-ganh-lo-mong-cho-nhung-tam-long-thom-thao