Because of their deformed bodies, diseases, functional defects... many Agent Orange victims are facing poor health and damaged spirits. Even, some of them would rather die than live their present life.
However, on the arid \"land\" of Agent Orange, there were victims who do not surrender their fate like a sprout squirming in a thorn bush with intense vitality. It shows us that, although chemical poisons wreak havoc on the body, kill the ideals and hopes of many people; nothing can stifle their spirit, energy and will.
* The story of Hanh, the \"penguin\"
Affected by Agent Orange passed from his father, the boy Ho Huu Hanh (in Gia Canh commune, Dinh Quan district, Dong Nai province) was born without hands. With only his feet, Hanh is still able to do everything and continued his life with energy and will. Despite his defective body, Hanh is now a first-year student majoring in Information Technology at Lac Hong University. Many people call him the “Nick Vujicic” of Vietnam.
Recalling the day he was born, Mrs. Bui Thi Hop, Hanh\'s mother said, waking up after giving birth, she was eager to see her beloved son, but her husband kept refusing, saying with tears that the son was still weak, so the doctor did not let her in. But then they couldn’t hide the truth for long. When picking up her son, Hop fainted when she saw a baby without arms...
With only his feet, since his childhood, Hanh has learnt to do everything, from personal hygiene to household chores, with all the innocence of a child. Despite his defects, at his young age, Hanh proved to be a smart boy when he asked his mother to send him to school. Hanh wrote and did exercises on the board with his toes as fluently as his friends did with their hands. For 8 out of his 12 school years, Hanh rode his bike to school himself by resting his shoulders and chin on the handlebars, and cycling from home to school and back home from school. Hanh\'s shoulders were covered with wounds resulted from falling-off. Many times being teased and given the name... penguin by his friends, Hanh wasn’t let down. Hanh won the title of excellent student for all his 12 school years thanks to his hard working.
Now the \"penguin\" guy Ho Huu Hanh has become an adult man and a university student. Talking to us, Hanh said: “I don\'t want to be a burden to my family and to myself. Pursuing education is for my own future and also a message to other people with disabilities that efforts will definitely succeed”.
Recently, Hanh was commended at the Young Energetic Conference in Hanoi and invited to join a visit to Google\'s office in Singapore. The trip brought Hanh new experiences and there he was invited by Google\'s Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia Regional Director to work after fulfilling his university study and English proficiency. “This is a very good opportunity. I will definitely grasp it” – Hanh said in a determined voice. Currently, in addition to his lessons, Hanh also does part-time online marketing for an e-commerce site to have money to pay for school fee and at the same time accumulate experience. Hanh\'s biggest dream is to be a Youtuber. Before entering university, he made a lot of lovely videos, clips and even short films, and posted on his Youtube channel, with the desire to give positive energy to those who are disappointed at their destiny.
Talking about his difficulties, Hanh said: “When I was a child, my legs were short but flexible. Now that I get older, my legs are longer but stiffer, so my movements are no longer as easy as before. However, whenever looking at the example of Nick Vujicic, the world famous Australian armless and legless \"warrior\", I find myself luckier when I still have legs to walk, run and jump. I want to prove one thing that, despite the irony of fate, with our strong will, nothing is... impossible”.
* \"Disable\" but not ... \"wasteful\"
For 20 years now, the classes of two special \"teachers\", namely Tran Hoai Phu and Tran Hoai Phi (Long Giao commune, Cam My district, Dong Nai province) have never been without students. Born with abnormal bodies due to the sequelae of Agent Orange, but the two brothers Hoai Phu - Hoai Phi are always optimistic, and lead a useful life for themselves and everyone.
Tran Hoai Phu was born in 1982 in the happiness of his parents. Like his two older siblings, Phu grew up normal as other children. But then at the age of 7, Phu\'s health deteriorated when his limbs showed signs of shrinking; his spine began to bend and hunch up... The complications became more and more serious every day, turning him from a cute, naughty and smart boy to a disabled child who had to sit in one place with a pathetic figure. After many years of expensive treatment, Phu\'s condition did not improve. His mother, Ms. Hoang Thi Tuyet, had no choice but to give up. Loving her child, Tuyet could only spend time with him doing physical therapy in the hope that his disability will be somewhat reduced.
Not long after, Tuyet gave birth to another son and then the tragedy repeated when Nguyen Hoai Phi \"followed\" his brother to become a disabled child. Looking at her disable children, who do not have a normal life like many other children, her heart aches but is still filled with the love of a mother for her children.
Seeing that her two children wanted to go to school, Tuyet decided to take them to school so that they could integrate with their friends. Tuyet\'s journey of carrying her children to school was very arduous, creating a strong emotion for many people when they heard about her story. Although the deformity makes the life and movement of Phu and Phi difficult, the two boys are still good students. Knowing their outstanding academic achievements, many people in the neighborhood bring their children to Phu and Phi to help them with their studies. The house was cramped, but the number of students kept growing, so the teachers and students had to temporarily move to the front yard. Respecting the two dedicated \"teachers\", and loving the poor and studious students, in 2009, a sponsor built for the two \"teachers\" a small clean room to teach. And so on, two special \"teachers\" and generations of students stick together to overcome adversity.
More lucky than Phu and Phi, with strong willpower, the petite girl Nguyen Thi Hien (Ho Nai ward, Bien Hoa City) - an Agent Orange victim, became an active member of the Dong Nai Provincial Association for Agent Orange/dioxin, and inspired other victims of the same situation.
Born with Agent Orange sequelae inherited from her father who participated in the resistance war, at less than 1 year old, Hien had her legs atrophied gradually. Not long after, both her legs lost control and Hien could only drag. At school age, going to school every day on her mother\'s back, Hien understood that she would be a burden if she didn\'t try to rise up. At the age of 10, Hien had a surgery and tried to walk. Then, she was able to walk on her feet despite difficulties. But that doesn\'t stop her from walking and inspires the unfortunate fates of Agent Orange.
Participating in the project of improving the lives of people with disabilities implemented by a non-governmental organization in Dong Nai, Hien had a different view of the abilities of people with disabilities that people with disabilities can be \"disabled\" but with strong will they are definitely not ... \"wasted\". During 3 years of participation, Hien and the project have supported hundreds of people with disabilities to learn vocational skills and practice skills. Many of them have found stable jobs. That is her great happiness – Hien confided.
Ms. Dao Nguyen, Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial Association for Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin said that Dong Nai is one of the provinces with the highest number of Agent Orange victims in the country. Currently, in the area, there are 4th generation victims who are born affected by the Agent Orange. However, many of them do not surrender to fate. They have lived, worked hard and creatively, not only settling their own lives, but also being able to help others.
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