Onkyo Braille Essay Contest 2006 -- International Section (Asia-Pacific Region) ■ Highly Commended "LIKE A DREAM" Mr. Le Van Thanh (Vietnam: Male, 52-year-old) |
I was 34 years old and my wife was 33. We had two young daughters - one was five and the other was just six months old. We were living with my wife's family. However, after becoming blind, everyone ran away because I was no longer bringing in money and prosperity. So I went to live with my sister and we had to depend on the subsidy allowance from two families. My children started their schooling and my wife became mentally retarded as a result of an injury to her spinal cord. This was the first phase of my life from 1988 to 1992. The second phase of my life began in 1992 when I was taught Braille by a kind-hearted teacher. She and her friends got together to help me buy a small house made of bamboo with coconut leaves for the roof. In 1993 my family moved in. I started earning money by writing down songs in Braille and learning them by heart. In the evenings I would go out to sing or sell lottery tickets with the help of a friend. Two other friends acted as driver and they also helped in the sale of the tickets. I played music and sang songs requested by customers at the night-street restaurants. At the same time, I tried to sell at least 300 lottery tickets each evening. In 1995, a teacher taught me how to type Braille and, with this skill, I was able to get a second job. I produced Braille books for blind students and holy song-books for a Christian group. At first I earned a monthly salary of VN $300,000. This increased to VN $500,000 in 1999 and again increased to VN $700,000 in 2003. Thus, I had two major incomes to support my family. I bought a new house and my first daughter, who had just completed her schooling at grade 9, got married and found a stable job. My youngest daughter is studying in grade 12 and she had been receiving the certificate for being an outstanding student over the past 11 years. Another good news - my wife recovered from her disease and is now working as housewife to take care of the family. My youngest daughter is now preparing for admission to Medical University and she hopes to become an ophthalmological doctor. This would enable her to help reduce the incidence of blindness in the community. And we are already dreaming of a bigger house! Indeed, I must say that blindness is a great misfortune. However, this misfortune would have been much worse for blind people if they did not know Braille. |
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