Vietnamese mother, teenage son dwell in cemetery
As the evening draws near, Vu Thi Thanh Nga, a resident in Ward 16, Go Vap District, pushes her son in a wheelchair to the porch for a breath of fresh air. The 12-year-old child expresses his joy to be outside after being stuck indoors for a few rainy days. “Do you like it?” asked the mother. Nguyen Hoang Gia Anh, the son, did not answer; he has not spoken a single word since he was born. Life in the cemetery Anh was born with Down syndrome. During her pregnancy, Nga did not notice any deformities in the fetus even though she had regular ultrasound check-ups. He was born with serious physical defects and would spend his life unable to carry out basic tasks including talking, eating, and keeping himself clean. Nga came to terms with the situation and was determined to never part with her son despite the challenges to come. Down syndrome is not a family disorder. It is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome, but it is not an inher...