When her seven-year-old son fled in terror upon seeing her without arms or legs, 30-year-old Tran Thi Nga from Phu Tho town realized she ne...
When her seven-year-old son fled in terror upon seeing her without arms or legs, 30-year-old Tran Thi Nga from Phu Tho town realized she needed to endure and confront her destiny.
A heartbreaking incident occurred in late 2024 when Nga, who had been in good health, suddenly experienced a high temperature and slipped into a coma that lasted seven days.
She was moved to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, where she was placed on an ECMO device and received continuous hemofiltration.
Physicians determined that she was suffering from viral myocarditis, cardiogenic shock, and multiple organ failure, which led to inadequate blood flow.
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| Tran Thi Nga during a 2023 journey, when she was still in good condition. Photo provided by Nga |
When she regained consciousness from the coma, her arms and legs had turned black. This was caused by necrosis. In order to preserve her life, the medical team had to remove all four limbs.
Afraid of the financial strain of ongoing hospital care, Nga begged her mother, Dong Thi Thuy, saying, "Mom, please let me return home to Phu Tho. I will make the best use of whatever time I have left. I don't want to be a burden on my husband, children, or family."
Failing to persuade her to remain in the hospital, her family brought her two children to Hanoi in an effort to motivate her to continue with the treatment.
Her 10-year-old daughter embraced her, wiped away her tears, and offered words of encouragement, but her seven-year-old son, upon seeing his mother surrounded by tubes and with blackened limbs, became scared and ran outside.
She stated: "In that instant, I understood my son was too young to lose his mother. I needed to keep living for him."
On January 20, 2025, following a five-hour operation, Nga regained consciousness, her body covered in white bandages. The physical discomfort was mixed with sadness. "However, seeing the dark circles and thin face of my mother made me realize I needed to recover quickly so she could return home soon," she recalls.
She made herself consume every spoonful of milk and porridge. Thuy frequently showed her videos featuring individuals with disabilities reconstructing their lives. Three months later, Nga was released.
With her husband working far away and her in-laws being elderly, she relocated to her mother's house for better support. On her first day back home, she turned her face toward the wall, tears flowing down her cheeks, unable to wipe them away on her own.
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| Tran Thi Nga and her grandmother sitting on the porch in June 2025. Screenshot from a video |
She depended on her parents and children for all her daily tasks. Her daughter would rush over to rub the affected area when a mosquito bit her. However, at times the children would forget what had happened to her. One morning, her son said, "Mom, I want mixed noodles, please prepare some."
Nga responded, as though trying to comfort herself: "Mom is still suffering. With my hands and feet like this, I can't cook right now, but I will be able to, little by little."
Following that event, she requested her mother to assist her in sitting up more frequently, allowing her to perform exercises while in bed to build muscle strength.
When certain philanthropists provided her with prosthetic legs, she began to learn how to walk. However, lacking hands to maintain balance, she frequently fell, "collapsing like a banana tree" and sometimes even losing consciousness. A few minutes later, she would awaken and request her family to assist her in practicing once more.
Her father constructed a set of parallel bars, enabling her to support herself while practicing standing. Now, after several months, Nga is able to walk a few laps around the yard with her prosthetic legs and feed herself with the help of an assistive device. She has slowly become more open to visiting neighbors and friends.
Individuals motivate her to broadcast live on social platforms for conversations. Following some trial sessions, she began engaging in affiliate marketing (promoting other people's products for online sales).
On the first day, she made VND4,000 (US$0.15). The following day, it was VND14,000, and then VND37,000. "It felt like getting a million-dong salary once more," she mentions.
Numerous individuals who were aware of Nga's circumstances suggested she attempt to sell items online. She started sharing regional products such as peanuts and noodles, and, to her astonishment, received significant encouragement. Because of this, she was able to afford medications and attend regular check-up appointments.
However, abruptly in late October, her videos began facing allegations like "This is AI," "Fraud," and "Fabricating a disability to earn money."
Throughout her live streams, she faced continuous questioning, prompting her to halt and explain. Eventually, feeling drained, she chose to quit.
After a few days, she came back to social media but stopped selling; she only shared about her personal experiences. She aims to serve as an inspiration.
"If a person who has lost all their limbs, like me, still desires to live, then the small challenges in life are not insurmountable," she states.
She is still committed to reaching her objective of being able to prepare her two children's favorite blended noodles soon. "If I am still capable of loving, if I am still able to live for others, then I have not lost anything at all."
