The student is Ho Cong Danh, who is currently a freshman at Quy Nhon University in Binh Dinh central province, and the latter is 32-year-old, 25 kg Nguyen Thanh Tung, who Danh calls “uncle”.

Tung became permanently disabled after falling out of a 10m tree seven years ago, when he had expected to marry a local girl and dreamed of a fulfilling life.

Thanks to the shock of Tung’s awful accident combined with his two older siblings suddenly showing signs of mental illness, Tung’s father died of a stroke, and his mother followed him two years later for the same reason.

During that difficult time, Tung’s body became gradually covered with open sores and he desperately needed a helping hand who was not reluctant to take care of his basic needs since he was unable to move.

Tung’s tragic case has attracted considerable sympathy from many people in the area. Some of them visited and gave him cooking, but they could not take care of him all of the time since they have their own families to care for.

The terrible situation left Tung depressed and deeply frustrated, so he decided to end the relationship with his fiancée and tried to commit suicide by starving himself to death but failed.

“If Danh had not shown up then, I would have died,” Tung recalled.

One day, Tung looked gray and his lips were purple as he suffered a high fever. Danh, who was 13 years old at that time, showed up and applied a heating compress to relieve his fever.

When Tung recovered, he looked at Danh and smiled.

“After that, my mind was obsessed with the thought of, who will care for him if he suffers another high fever? Finally, I decided to look after him,” Danh said.

“He takes care of me every day. And no matter how much I scold him for his silly actions, he still does it,” Tung told Tuoi Tre.

“Taking care of a paralyzed man not only takes heart but also great patience. Danh is really a wonderful person,” a doctor said.

Despite arguments from Tung, Danh still does what Tung needs every day. Under the care of the little neighbor, Tung’s bed no longer smells, and he has fewer open sores and high fevers.

When Danh moved to Da Nang, far from his home, to study in preparation for his university entrance exam early this year, he returned home thrice a week to take care of his “uncle”.

Tung was afraid that his disease would deter Danh from going to school, and he did not want to be a burden anymore so he tried to kill himself again by not eating for seven successive days, but his life was saved.

Afterward, Danh entreated persistently: “You have to live to celebrate my passing of the university entrance exam.” So, Tung changed his mind.

Danh was born to a poor family. His father is disabled and his mother, who sells vegetables at a nearby market, is the family’s breadwinner. In July 2012, Danh was admitted into Quy Nhon University, hundreds of kilometers away from his residential area.

Danh’s decision to live together with Tung in a rented room in Quy Nhon city so that he can attend the university and take care of his “uncle” shocked his family and many people.

Touched by their difficult circumstances, the landlord reduced the rental price from VND1.2 (roughly US$60) to VND1 million ($50) a month. But, to pay for the room and provide medication for Tung, Danh still works part-time jobs.

Many people have been amazed by Danh’s rare kindness. His schoolmates once asked him if he found hit ard to tidy up the room and help his neighbor with personal hygiene for two hours every morning, and Danh just smiled and said: “It is normal”.

Source: Tuoitrenews