The woman who refuses to bow to fate

Though her legs and arms are atrophied and she cannot walk on her own, 44-year-old Thai Thi Hang Nga from Dinh Quan commune, Dong Nai province, has never stopped spreading love through charitable deeds.

With just a small mobile phone and a big heart, she has become a “bridge” connecting benefactors with people in difficult circumstances, helping hundreds of poor households and disadvantaged students across the area.

An unexpected turn of fate

Twelve years after a serious illness, Nga, once a healthy woman, now relies on a wheelchair or drags herself across the floor to work. Before her illness, she was a kindergarten teacher. Her health had been normal throughout her life, but in 2013, she began experiencing pain in her elbows and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Through an acquaintance’s introduction, Nga sought treatment with herbal medicine from a traditional healer in the former Hoa Binh province. However, after taking the medicine, her limbs began to contract, leaving her unable to walk.

Thai Thi Hang Nga participated in the “Loving Leaves” program by Vietnam Television in 2024. Photo courtesy of the character

After “losing money and gaining illness”, Nga fell into depression, tormented by negative thoughts and even attempting suicide several times, though unsuccessfully. Eventually, she began her journey of self-healing by reading newspapers and watching videos and clips about people facing hardships. Through these stories, she realized that many others were also struggling with serious illnesses and misfortunes, yet they remained resilient and full of life. Compared with them, she felt fortunate to still have her family by her side, caring for her. That became the motivation for her to keep going.

In early 2015, Nga’s family took her to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment, and her condition began to improve: the stiffness in her arms and knees gradually eased by about 60%. It was from that point that her journey of charity work and connecting benefactors began.

In 2016, Nga began reaching out to benefactors to support children with hydrocephalus across the nation. Since 2017, she has been advocating for aid to people experiencing poverty, starting in her local commune and former district, and then expanding to other provinces and cities nationwide.

Connecting benefactors

The family of Nguyen Thi Giau, who lives in hamlet 9, Dinh Quan commune, Dong Nai province, is also facing difficult circumstances. Giau was a classmate of Nga since primary school. Fully aware of her friend’s hardship, Giau’s husband had suffered a stroke and passed away, the family owned no land or house, and they were living in a thatched hut with a roof nearly destroyed by termites. Nga was deeply moved. Out of compassion, she mobilized 31.5 million VND in donations to help cover her friend’s husband's medical treatment before his death, as well as school fees, books, and other essentials for Giau’s children. In addition to her two older children, Giau’s family was also raising a seventh-grade student.

Thai Thi Hang Nga and her friend award annual scholarships to five disadvantaged students in Dinh Quan commune. Photo courtesy of the character

“The financial support from Nga and the benefactors has been invaluable to my family. Having known her for many years and witnessed all she has done, I deeply admire Nga. She is a woman of extraordinary willpower and boundless compassion. Nga has accomplished things that even healthy people like me could not do. She is truly kind, not only helping me, but also many others in difficult circumstances,” Giau said.

Not only has Nga received constant support from her family in her charitable work, but the authorities of La Nga commune have also highly praised her actions.

According to Thai Binh Duong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the La Nga Commune People’s Committee, the commune will coordinate with Nga to implement community programs in the near future. He noted that Nga’s work at the local level reflects her deep concern for people experiencing poverty, as she personally visits to offer support and is highly active in social and charitable work. Her efforts extend not only to the poor but also to the homeless, the sick, and those affected by accidents, by connecting them with benefactors. Despite her mobility challenges, Nga remains committed to supporting the community not only in La Nga commune but also in many other areas. That is something truly admirable about her.

Recently, Nga received information about the situation of Huynh Kim Ngoc’s family in hamlet 3, La Nga commune, Dong Nai province, a family that has been living in hardship for many years.

Ngoc has been paralyzed since suffering a stroke a few years ago. His wife, Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan, has muscle atrophy in her hands, and one of their three children has hyperactivity disorder. The entire family lives in a house of just over 10 square meters. Xuan and the children work as seasonal laborers and sell lottery tickets to earn money for Ngoc’s medical treatment. The family is classified as a poor household in the commune.

“I visited the place where Ngoc and his wife live and saw that their ‘house’ was in terrible condition. The roof sheets were rotting, leaking when it rained, and unbearably hot when the sun was shining. The walls were patched together with pieces of cloth, with no proper roofing or brickwork,” Nga shared.

After sharing the story of Ngoc and Xuan’s family on social media, Nga received 24.1 million VND in donations from benefactors, which she gave to the couple to use gradually for medical check-ups and treatment.

Xuan shared: “I have never had such a large amount of money before. I was deeply moved and grateful for the support from Nga and the benefactors.”

Nga visits families in need to deliver gifts. Photo courtesy of the character

Nga’s charitable journey has lasted nearly a decade. Each story she shares on social media about people in difficult circumstances receives a warm and positive response from benefactors.

Despite her mobility challenges, Nga still personally visits families in difficult circumstances within the area to verify their situations. For cases farther away, she asks other benefactors to help confirm the details and call for support. Currently, Nga and a friend continue to provide annual scholarships to five disadvantaged children in La Nga commune.

Nga can no longer remember how many people in difficult circumstances she has helped. After each case receives support, she always feels a sense of peace and happiness. Her story is a vivid testament to resilience in the face of adversity and to a compassionate heart in everyday life.

By Bich Nhan – Translated by Dang Huyen, Minho