A mother explains how her son is succeeding with financial support from Samaritan's Purse.
My family was overwhelmed with joy when Tung was born. God had finally blessed us with a son to continue our family line. He wasn’t able to open his eyes for one month after we brought him home from the hospital. When we took him to see a doctor, he told us not to worry because babies normally sleep a lot.
At 3 months old, while other children could already see well, Tung showed no reaction to light. By the time he turned 1, he could see a small amount but not well. We thought his sight would improve as time went by, but we were wrong. The older he got, the worst his sight became.
I still remember the day when Tung turned 4 years old. My mother picked him up from his kindergarten, and he didn’t say a word. He just quietly walked to his bed and waited until I came home from work. When I asked him if he was OK, he hugged me tight and burst into tears.
“Mom, I can’t see anything,” he said. “How can I go to school?”
My heart was broken into pieces when I heard him say that. All I could do was to hug him tight.
Despite our financial difficulty, my husband and I didn’t lose hope. Whenever we heard about any good doctors, we always tried to take him there. We sold all our valuable belongings in order to have money to buy him medicine. I was fired from my job because I failed to show up to work on regular basis. I had to stay at home to take care of my son while my husband worked as a security guard. Our daily expenses depended on his meager income, which was barely enough to make ends meet.
When Tung reached 5 years old, he quit going to kindergarten and just stayed at home. When he was 6, no family members agreed to send Tung to primary school, but I was determined to provide him with the best education within my reach. I sent Tung to Nguyen Dinh Chieu School to study and make friends.
We have been working hard for six years to afford his schooling and provide him with everything we can. This year, when Tung received financial support from Samaritan’s Purse, we were overwhelmed with joy. It meant the world to us, especially to Tung. I have always reminded him that the reason he received the assistance was because he worked hard in school and performed well. He must be proud because only 20 out of 100 students received support from Samaritan’s Purse.
There is a saying in Vietnamese: “One piece of food while hungry equals a big box of food while full.” Only those who have gone through tough times like us can truly understand how much your support means. We can’t thank you enough for all the great things that you have done for our son!
