Sowing optimism with special hands

The work accident in a foreign country took away his arms at the age of 30. It seemed like all future doors had closed for agricultural master To Huu Sy, but with extraordinary will to live, optimism, and strong faith in life, he overcame his fate to continue writing his life's dream.

In a small, pretty garden filled with colorful flowers, To Huu Sy - a man with a slim body, bright and intelligent face is watering flowers, pruning and weeding plants. There would be nothing worth mentioning if Sy did not do those tasks diligently and skillfully with his prosthetic hands.

To Huu Sy was born in 1989, in Lam Hop commune - Ky Anh district (Ha Tinh). Like most families in the upper Ky Anh region, Sy's family was poor and had many siblings. The dream and determination to go to university to change his life was the motivation that helped Sy become a student at Hanoi University of Agriculture (now Vietnam Academy of Agriculture).

Sowing optimism with special hands

In 2012, after graduating from university, Sy continued his postgraduate studies. During his years of studying, he worked many jobs to cover his own tuition fees. In 2015, he completed his course with distinction and received a master's degree in plant cultivation. Sy became the hope of his family and the pride of his neighbors in his poor village.

With the desire to contribute his efforts and intelligence to his homeland, he joined an agricultural project in Ha Tinh . During this time, he met and fell in love with his classmate, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung (born in 1992) - an agricultural engineer like him.

Sowing optimism with special hands

The agricultural master went to Japan (2020) with many dreams and ambitions. Photo: NVCC.

The turning point in the young couple's life came in October 2020, through a cooperation program between the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture and a partner in Japan, Sy was introduced to work in his field of study in the land of the rising sun. Mr. Sy shared: "The luggage I brought with me on the day of departure was faith and hope for a bright future and the desire to access many advanced technologies and techniques from the neighboring country to apply to safe agricultural production in my homeland."

Sowing optimism with special hands

A modern working environment, working at a safe vegetable production and processing factory that suits his expertise and strengths has allowed him to satisfy his passion for researching and cultivating green shoots. He thought that everything was going smoothly, promising a bright future, but an unexpected disaster struck and changed his life.

“That morning was a day at the end of January 2022, I went to work like any other day. While operating the vegetable dryer, by accident, my right arm was caught in the machine. In too much pain and losing my composure, by natural reflex, I used my left hand to pull my right arm out but it was also caught in it. I fainted and when I woke up in the hospital, my arms were no longer on my body. Looking at my two arms that had been almost amputated, I could not believe that cruel truth. I cried out in despair because I knew that from now on, my life would be nothing more” – Mr. Sy was still shocked and in pain when he recalled the moment he had the accident.

Video: Mr. To Huu Sy shares about his journey of overcoming life's upheavals

Receiving the news of her husband's accident through a friend, Ms. Hong Nhung was shocked. "For several days, I didn't hear him call or pick up the phone to talk or laugh with the children as usual, I had a premonition that something bad was going on. But when I heard the bad news, I still couldn't believe it was true. At that time, I had just given birth to my second child 7 months ago. Alone with two young children, my husband had an accident in a foreign country, I almost fell into crisis," Ms. Hong Nhung recalled.

After more than 2 months of undergoing 3 major surgeries and receiving dedicated care from doctors in a neighboring country, Sy was able to keep his life, but his hands were forever gone. As he got used to the physical pain, Sy began to face serious psychological problems that seemed insurmountable.

Sowing optimism with special hands

Having a major incident at a young age, with a bright future full of dreams and plans, it seemed that Sy could not accept the harsh reality. The time he had the accident was also the time when the COVID-19 pandemic was complicated, apart from the doctors and nurses in the intensive care unit, no relatives, friends or colleagues were allowed to visit. Fighting physical pain alone, the long nights of loneliness and sadness further depressed his spirit.

He said that many nights he cried alone, lamenting his fate, and even thought about suicide to free himself from his psychological obsessions. But then, video calls from family and friends in Vietnam, gifts sent to the hospital by colleagues every day, and the encouragement and care of doctors and nurses helped him regain his spirit.

Sowing optimism with special hands

Mr. To Huu Sy during treatment at the Rehabilitation Hospital in Hyogo Prefecture (Japan). Photo: NVCC

“When I left for Japan, my eldest son was only 3 years old, and my wife was pregnant with our second child, so we had not yet met. I could not only think about myself without thinking about my family, my wife and children, and I encouraged myself that being alive and seeing the sunlight was luckier than many people, so even if we encountered an incident, we still had to stand up and be strong to continue living,” Sy shared.

One year and two months of wound treatment, exercise and psychological rehabilitation at large and small hospitals was the time that Mr. Sy had to fight on his own, trying to gradually get used to all the activities of a person with "no arms".

A long journey with a lot of sweat and tears. From suffering and despair when he couldn't do anything, to bursting with happiness when he could hold things, eat and do personal activities by himself... When he gradually regained balance in his life, he made plans for his future.

Sowing optimism with special hands

In March 2023, he was discharged from the hospital and returned to Vietnam. With prosthetic hands, he tries to do everything such as taking care of himself, helping his wife with housework, taking care of the children, and using the phone and computer skillfully. Although his daily activities are more inconvenient than normal people, he always has a friendly, lovable smile on his face.

Mr. To Huu Dang - Sy's father shared: "My family was very worried about how to help Sy integrate and balance his new life after the incident, but his optimism and will to live became our motivation and belief."

Sowing optimism with special hands

Mr. Sy and his wife in his "happy garden".

Without wasting any time, he and his wife started to implement the plan of planting and trading trees. And a small garden filled with green leaves and fragrant flowers was born in Thach Quy ward (Ha Tinh city). The small and pretty garden was named “Happy Garden” - the garden of happiness.

Sowing optimism with special hands

Mr. Sy shared: “Happy Garden is my spiritual “child” that I cherished during my days in the hospital. I put into it my passion for bonsai, my faith and hope for a new life. Every morning when I wake up, I plant and care for the green shoots, and I find peace in life.

Our entrepreneurial journey has just begun, but with the motto "sow green seeds - reap happiness", I hope my garden will not only be a place for customers to buy plants but will also become a meeting place for like-minded people, spreading an optimistic and positive lifestyle to those around us."

Sharing his feelings when visiting the "happy garden", Mr. Nguyen Duc Thien Hoan (Thach Quy ward - Ha Tinh city) said: "I really admire Sy's will and determination. His story has given me a positive energy for life. I think that I and other young people should take it as an example to make more efforts in life, contributing youth to the community".

Mr. Nguyen Duc Thien Hoan expressed his feelings when visiting Mr. Sy and Happy Garden.

Now, besides taking care of ornamental plants in the small garden with his wife and father, he also spends time researching more documents and in-depth knowledge about plants from the internet to undertake additional services such as landscape design, consulting, and ornamental plant maintenance...

Sowing optimism with special hands

Family is the biggest motivation to help him overcome his fate. Photo: Mr Quoc Baby House

The life events did not make the young man fall down but made him stronger. Sy To - his personal Facebook page currently has thousands of followers and the young man's extraordinary efforts have become an inspirational story, sowing more faith in life for everyone.