VietNamNet Bridge – With up to 60 percent of his body burned after a straw fire, the boy named Minh went to his class with a mask covering half of his deformed face. His body was also wrapped with gauze. Being called "superman" and "spider" by his classmates, Minh was not sad.




Dao Ngoc Minh is a student of a first grade class of Sao Vang Primary School in Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province. In the class, Minh looked “outstanding” because of his cloth mask. He lost all fingers on his left hand while all fingers of his right hand are stuck together, but he tried his best at the class.

Who would have thought that six months ago, Minh was a handsome and agile boy. That day, he paid a visit to his father’s village in Quang Xuong district before the new school year began. He left home as a normal boy in the morning but on the afternoon, his mother, Le Thi Hoa, was informed that her son was seriously burned in a straw fire and was treated at the Thanh Hoa Pediatrics Hospital.

Minh’s body was burnt 60 percent and it could not be recovered. The fire took away half of the right face and left protruding scars all over his body.

Hoa said that the 12 days in the Thanh Hoa Pediatrics Hospital for emergency aid and more than 3 months of treatment at the National Burn Institute in Hanoi was the time that she did not want to remember. Every day, witnessing the baby’s agonies of pain caused by the burns, her heart was broken.

During the three months at the National Burn Institute, the 6-year-old boy underwent eight skin operations, plus one surgery at the National Pediatrics Hospital to cut necrosis skin.

On the hospital bed, Minh counted each day to be discharged from the hospital. During these summer months, he learned the alphabet by heart, was proficient in calculations. He could write the name of his school and his full name on notebooks.

Before the accident, Minh had a chubby, lovely face.

When Minh practiced to walk again, his brother was almost one year old. Both of them were toddlers at the same time. With the severely burned left leg, Minh could not stand alone. His parents bought a stroller for him to practice walking. Gradually, the boy did not need the trolley any more. He could lean on the wall or the table edges to walk. He also practiced writing to prepare to enter primary school.

Leaving hospital at end of October, Minh asked to go to school immediately. At the first school gathering of Sao Vang Primary School, Minh sat beside the principal. She introduced Minh to the whole school and told other students to help him. Minh quickly integrated into the classroom without hesitation.

Going to school, he still had to cover his face with a medical mask. His limbs were wrapped with bandages to prevent infection. Some students called him "superman" or "spider" but Minh did not mind the teasing. He was happy to show off his first 10 score in mathematics on the first day of school.

Minh has many talents, especially drawing and singing. He dreamt of becoming a firefighter but after the horrific fire, he now wants to study well to become a scientist.

Smile always on the boy’s lips.

Teacher Tran Thi Tuyet said Minh joined the class nearly two months late but he caught up with the program and was in the top students. From the first day to school, he has not been absent for even a single day.

Principal Le Thi Lien said that the school presented books, clothes and exempted all kind of school free for Minh. The school also asked the local authorities to give the boy social welfare for the disable.

Minh will return to the National Burn Institute to perform a surgery to separate the fingers of his right hand. His mother said that from now to his adulthood, every year Minh will have to perform at least one surgery to balance his shoulder and to treat scars.

To have money for the treatment, Minh’s parents had to mortgage their house. They only hoped that Minh would remain confident and have stamina to continue the long-term treatment.

Compiled by Mai Lan