Remediating the consequences of toxic chemicals in Quang Tri: A nonstop journey (IV)

IV. Winning the fate

- Thanks to the support of the community and their own efforts, many victims of Agent Orange in Quang Tri have been able to overcome their difficulties and illnesses to gradually build themselves a better life. They can be an excavator driver, a disabled athlete or a hard working mother to support her family and young children. Compared to ordinary people, AO victims that we met and mention below have to work many times harder to have their present lives as today.

“Not to let circumstances dampen will”

If not introduced first, people may not believe that Mr. Le Van Trung (born 1977), Thuy Ba Dong village, Vinh Thuy commune, Vinh Linh district is a victim of Agent Orange/dioxin, as the job he is doing, a construction excavator, is quite hard. His father was a guerrilla, his mother was a volunteer in the anti-American resistance war. When he was born, Trung was not healthy like a normal child. After finishing grade 6, due to poor health and family circumstances, Trung ended his schooling.

Being passionate and interested in machinery such as bulldozers, plows, etc., in 1998, Trung decided to study for an excavator license, even though it was not easy for him. When he finished, his parents mortgaged their land and borrowed more money to buy him an agri-truck, a rice mill and a plow to run agri-services. Because of his hard-working, just a few years later, he paid off the entire bank loan. In 2007, he borrowed another 300 million dong, plus the accumulated money to buy an excavator, a bulldozer, and an excavator transport truck.

Now, his business not only runs well in Quang Tri but people from other provinces also come to hire his vehicle, bringing him an average annual income of about VND 400 million. “Compared to many other AO victims, I am much luckier. I think, I have a disability in my leg, but as I still have a healthy mind, there is no reason for circumstance to dampen my will. Bearing that in mind, I try my best to do business, both to have income for my family and to create jobs for people with difficult circumstances, especially people with disabilities, people infected with Agent Orange”, Trung said.

In addition to actively participating in social activities in the locality, Trung also volunteers to bring his machinery to repair rural roads; provides material support for cultural and artistic activities, study promotion and talent promotion movements of his community.

“Sport gives me many dreams”

Although unable to speak and react fluently, Le Thi Truong An (born in 1999), in Sub-zone 2, Ai Tu town, Trieu Phong district knows how to express her thoughts, understands and answers other people\'s questions very well. Mrs. Phan Thi Tham, An\'s mother, gave birth to 4 children, but only An is disabled. “When she was young, at the age of 1, she still did not grow up like other children. Her head, body, and limbs were soft. I was very worried. When she was three and four years old, she was still slow to speak and walk. We took her for treatment everywhere, until one day the doctor concluded that she was affected by Agent Orange. Luckily, the older she got, the better her health became, and finally she can walk normally”, Tham recalls.

When An was 14 years old, the staffs working at the Culture and Information Office of Trieu Phong district suggested that her family let her practice sports to participate in the disabled sports festival. At first, An did weightlifting. Then realizing that she was in good shape, the coaches advised her to practice athletics. From initial shyness and surprise when having to interact with many strangers, gradually, the training sessions made her excited. “Training with the trainers is not enough, every day I tell my mother to wake me up early for jogging and practicing more. Seeing that my daughter is serious about training, I am also happy because she is conscious and responsible for her work,\" said Tham.

Up to now, An has won 2 silver medals and a bronze medal for weightlifting and athletics in the district and provincial sports tournaments for the disabled. Sometimes in the training sessions, An was very weak; her limbs ached; she lost weight because of pressure, but she never gave up. Once participating in the provincial sports tournament for the disabled, due to a bad mentality, An ran into another lane by mistake. Even though she finished early, her achievement was not counted. She was given only a bouquet of flowers, but she was very excited because she had a gift to bring back to her mother. \"Since practicing sports, my health has improved much; I have met more people, and have more dreams,\" An shared.

Filling body defects with love

10 years apart, but strangely, both Le Thi Hoa (born in 1984) and Le Thi Nhon (born in 1974), in Kim Dau village, Thanh An commune, Cam Lo district have same body defects such as: unhealthy limbs, inadequate height. Fortunately, their minds develop normally. However, they are all optimistic, happy, hard working to earn income to support themselves, not become a burden for their family. Satisfied with their fate, they never thought of getting marriage.

“Even in my dreams, I never thought I would get married and have children. For me, my own family is something very far away\", Hoa shared. However, as a miracle of life, Hoa had a happy family. She gave birth to a healthy daughter who is now in grade 1. Telling her love story like a fairy tale, Hoa confided: “Lai and I knew each other for 8 years before we decided to get married. At first, both our families opposed bluntly. My parents were afraid that I would be cheated, because Lai is a normal, healthy person, unmarried and 3 years younger than me. Who would think that he loves such a severely disabled girl like me”.

Recently, from the support fund of the Association of People with Disabilities, Victims of Agent Orange, Protecting People with Disabilities, Protecting Children\'s Rights in Quang Tri, together with the money they have accumulated and borrowed, Hoa and her husband built a small house to live in. “When I applied for a loan to build a house, no one dared to certify for me as they were afraid that I would not be able to repay the loan. Fortunately, the village headman guaranteed for her loan because he believed that even though I am a disabled person, if I work hard, I will be able to repay the debt. I am very grateful for that”, Hoa said.

In addition to the grocery store, Hoa also runs an online shop through her personal page to expand customers. When asked if she had any wishes, Hoa said she wanted to have more capital to expand her business, but perhaps approaching loans for people with disabilities is still too difficult.

The unlucky people we met above have been weaving meaningful stories for their lives. Although life does not give them a healthy and normal body, it gives them an extraordinary will to do useful things for themselves and for life. How precious they are./.