Story of Change
“He used to just crawl and get fed by other people. That's been the case for 16 years. But the project has changed him a lot. Now Hai knows how to feed himself, using a walker to move. I'm very happy!”
That is the sharing of Mrs. Le Thi Hong, grandmother of Le au Duc Hai in Bich La Dong Village, Trieu Thanh Commune, Trieu Phong District, Quang Tri Province. Hai was born in 2008. He has a variety of disabilities.
When mentioning Hai's situation, Ms. Hong is always emotional: Hai was born healthy. By the 5th month, there was a fever. After that, he gradually found difficulties in movement and communication. Hai was identified with particularly severe disabilities, diverse motor disabilities, intellectual disabilities and hearing and speech difficulties. With a variety of disabilities, Hai has almost no friends, does not attend school and depends entirely on the care of his grandmother.
From April, 2023, the activities of the project “Improving the quality of the life of persons with disabilities in provinces sprayed with Agent Orange in Vietnam” have been implemented in Quang Tri province (shortened name is Project Inclusion 1). Hai was one of many cases selected by the project to be screened and intervened in rehabilitation at home by medical staff who are rehabilitation therapists and therapeutics activities of Trieu Phong District Medical Center.
Photo of medical staff guiding exercise to Hai during a home visit
By the end of December 2023, health workers have visited the home 8 times. During each home visit, medical staff provided movement exercises/therapeutic activities to guide Hai to perform daily living activities. With dedicated guidance and proper exercises, Hai gradually recovered and became more active in life.
Rehabilitation therapist, Ms. Le Thi Diem Chi, who directly supported Hai and his family throughout the process, noticed the incredible change in the young man. She happily shared: “After 1 month of therapeutic instruction, along with the efforts of the family and the person with disabilities himself, Hai has walked more than 1m instead of just crawling and dragging.”
Witnessing the change of her grandson, Mrs. Le Thi Hong could not help but be happy and emotional. Approaching us (the visiting project delegation), she talked happily about Hai's recovery process. She said: "Hai has now pushed his walker around the neighborhood and he spends doing that about 30 minutes before returning. Hai now can also recognize the colors, shapes, knowing how to feed himself and goes to the toilet himself. I was extremely happy and excited. I could not think my nephew would be able to recover like that. My greatest wish now is for Hai to recover more, to be more self-reliant in life. I will try to practice with him every day.
Hai and his grandmother practiced on the front doors together
Like understanding his grandmother's heart, although it was difficult to express language, Hai also tried to say: Hai wishes to walk better to relieve her grandmother’s worries.
That is not only Hai's wish, but also that of everyone who loves this young man. Hai's journey to walk without assistive devices is still challenging but we believe, with the interventions of the project, the support of local medical staff and the current efforts of Hai and his family, the bright future as Hai wishes will become reality.
