A life-changing accident

In Long Dien commune (An Giang), locals have grown familiar with the sight of Mai Tran Bao Tran, 25, carrying her husband onto a wheelchair each morning and taking him outside.

Since a workplace accident left him paralyzed, her husband, Nguyen Minh Hieu, 26, has been bedridden and fully dependent on her for daily activities.

The accident happened in June 2021 while Tran was at home caring for their child. Hieu suffered a spinal cord injury, broke three cervical vertebrae, and was rushed to hospital.

Due to the severity of his condition, he was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC. Tran had to leave her child with her mother-in-law and move to the city to care for him.

Back home, their young son constantly cried for his parents. Eventually, Tran’s mother-in-law brought the child to HCMC, renting a room to help care for both her grandson and her injured son.

After about two months of treatment, Hieu was discharged in a near-paralyzed state. Any attempt to move or sit up caused him such intense pain that he would faint.

“Seeing my husband lying there, unable to move, broke my heart,” Tran said. “Whenever he was in pain or felt helpless, I couldn’t hold back my tears.

But I never felt hopeless or thought I was unfortunate. I only thought about staying by his side and caring for him until he recovered.”

From then on, her life revolved around caring for him. Each morning, she helped him with hygiene, fed him, carried him to a wheelchair, took him outside for sunlight, and assisted with physical therapy.

After each session, she soaked his hands and feet in herbal water and massaged them with medicated alcohol to ease numbness.

The reward of perseverance

In the early days, care was especially difficult as Hieu struggled with despair and often wanted to give up.

When in pain or feeling helpless, he would get angry, knock over meals, shout, and ask to be left alone. At times, he even tried to push his wife away.

“In the first year, he was overwhelmed and didn’t believe he could recover,” Tran recalled. “He felt like a burden to the family and blamed himself.

When he was in pain, he would lash out. If I came close, he would scold me or try to drive me away. Sometimes he even refused to eat.

But I understood his suffering, so I didn’t take it personally. I asked my mother-in-law to help comfort him, and I kept encouraging him. Eventually, he changed his mindset.”

Hieu admitted that at first, he felt hopeless and even had thoughts of giving up, not wanting his wife to suffer because of him.

Yet the more he pushed her away, the more gently she stayed by his side - feeding him, caring for him day and night without complaint. Most importantly, she made him believe he was still loved and could recover.

“No matter what, she never got angry or left me,” Hieu said. “When I was in pain, she massaged my arms and legs. When I couldn’t sleep, she stayed awake with me.

Seeing her sacrifice so much, I was deeply moved. I decided to cooperate with the therapy and believe I could get better.”

After five years, her perseverance and love have brought results. From being completely immobile, Hieu can now sit steadily and move his arms slightly.

He is also able to go to the bathroom on his own and hold a spoon to eat. More importantly, his spirit has improved: he is optimistic and believes in his recovery.

“His condition is improving,” Tran said. “Now, besides taking care of him and our child, I can also do nails and hair washing to earn extra income. I’m happy to see our efforts gradually yielding results.”

Ha Nguyen