Y Hinh Teh peeked behind the door of the house. He happily shared that he had just sold a good deal of the cow manure he had collected from the roads that afternoon. He would use the money to buy milk for his younger brother, Y Senh Teh, who suffers from congenital heart defects. During our visit to these boys and their family in Dak Lak, we heard a sound from Hinh Teh’s stomach. He could try to hide his hunger with his cheerful demeanor but his body gave him away.
Being a brother in this family is a heavy responsibility. Hinh Teh’s younger brother barely left his mother’s lap since birth because of his congenital heart defects. Y Senh Teh only weighs 7kg even though he is now 4 years old. Their parents do chores in town to make ends meet. Their total income is not even enough to feed them all, let alone pay the unimaginably high cost of heart surgery to save Y Senh Teh.
Hinh Teh said he would do anything so his younger brother could be strong enough to get the life-saving heart operation. “I wish one day after my brother has his heart surgery, I can play with him in the playground. I want to put him on the swing and push him to go higher into the sky. He would love it a lot,” he said, holding his younger brother in his lap on the swing.
When asked if he wanted to go with his parents to the city to be with Senh Teh for his upcoming surgery, Hinh Teh could not hide his enthusiasm for the idea. Yet with slight regret, he said, “I really want to go, but I will voluntarily stay home to look after our house and wait for the good news. As long as Senh Teh has his heart fixed, I can be anywhere and think of him.”
Let us cherish this wonderful brotherhood between siblings. Their bond reminds us how powerful family love can be. We hope this love will warm all of our families in Vietnam and motivate you all to support each other’s growth.
VinaCapital Foundation is proud to work towards happier and healthier Vietnamese families. We will continue to help take the burden of disease and poverty off their shoulders so that no child should suffer, mothers can work outside the home, and families can enjoy a better life.
We send all of our VinaCapital Foundation love to the families of Vietnam this National Family Day!
Subscribe to our Newsletter to stay up-to-date
Please see our privacy policy for details of how we will use your information and keep it safe and secure.