Toi, 27 years old and from Hiep Hoa, Bac Giang, is the oldest of three brothers. From birth, he’s had a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which means he can only see about 10% of what a person with normal vision can. Sadly, his younger brother also has the same condition since birth.
In 2011, when Toi was 13, he accidentally looked at a welding spark. After that, his right eye started seeing everything double. He was worried and asked his parents to take him to the doctor, but they didn’t think it was serious, so he didn’t get treatment. Five years later, his right eye completely lost its vision. Now, his whole world is seen through his left eye, with only 10% vision.
Even in elementary school, Toi faced many challenges. His classmates often bullied him, stealing and hiding his books. His family and teachers didn’t protect him. In fact, his dad would hit him for losing things, and his teacher would scold him and make him find them. Despite this, Toi was a good kid. After school, he would help his family herd cows and work with his dad in the carpentry shop. In secondary school, because of his eye condition, other boys often misunderstood his gaze, thinking he was looking at them in a rude way. This led to many fights, and Toi had to fight back to protect himself. Luckily, his middle school teachers understood his situation and gave him a lot of care and affection.
Throughout the conversation, the saddest part of Toi’s story was about his family. Unlike other children, Toi felt his parents didn’t show him much affection. He grew up with his dad hitting and scolding him, and his mom being distant. When he was little, he was close to his parents, but around age 6, when he started understanding more, he grew distant from them. He clearly remembers one rainy day when he couldn’t herd cows, so he went to a neighbor’s house to play. When his dad found out, he hit Toi hard in the face. Even though his mom saw his mouth was swollen from the beating, she didn’t say anything. Toi shared that his mom had no say in the family and never stepped in when his dad hit or yelled at him. His childhood passed by with sadness and no one to truly understand him.
After secondary school, his parents didn’t want him to continue studying, so he had to drop out and start working. At first, he worked in his dad’s carpentry shop, but they often argued. His dad didn’t understand his vision problems and always expected him to work like someone with full sight. In late 2016, after many intense arguments, unable to handle the strictness and lack of understanding, Toi decided to leave his dad’s shop. He started looking for other jobs, doing all sorts of difficult tasks like loading bricks, carrying cement, and assisting with construction and aluminum work.
A turning point came in 2017 when Toi was herding cows. Mr. Chuong, the Vice President of the Hiep Hoa District Association for the Blind, met him and offered to help. Understanding Toi’s situation, Mr. Chuong advised him to go to Hanoi to learn massage and acupressure instead of struggling with difficult jobs in his hometown. In early 2018, at the age of 20, Toi followed Mr. Chuong’s advice and moved to Hanoi to study massage and acupressure at the National Training & Rehab Center for the Vietnamese Blind. After three months of study, Toi started working as a masseur at the Cau Giay District Association for the Blind. Later, he went back to study spinal manipulation for three months and was invited by the center’s vice director to stay and work there.
In 2022, Toi decided to open his own small massage business in Ba Dinh District and asked his younger brother to join him. However, due to disagreements, his brother went back home. Also, because he didn’t have enough money and lacked staff, he couldn’t keep the business going, so it closed after nearly two years. Not giving up, in early 2024, Toi spent the first four months of the year traveling from North to South, wanting to experience different massage businesses across the country. He traveled through Da Nang, Hue, Nha Trang, Bao Loc, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh city, and then returned to Nha Trang. It was there that he had the chance to meet his wife.
After that journey, he returned to Hanoi and started working at Omamori Spa, where he remains today. Thanks to his efforts and overcoming hardships, Toi has now bought his own house in Ocean Park, started a family, and is preparing to welcome his first child. Talking about how he met his wife, Toi smiles happily. He shared that they met by chance during his trip to Nha Trang for work that year. His wife has normal vision and currently works at Noi Bai airport. Toi shared that because he grew up in a family that lacked love, everything he does now is for his small family, where he has found love, comfort, and support to keep living. His simple wish is to go home to his wife every day after his shift. This simple wish shows how much Toi loves his family. He wants to take good care of his wife and child, ensuring his child grows up with everything they need and are happy, unlike his own childhood filled with sadness and hardship.
Despite being born with incomplete vision and growing up in a family without understanding or empathy, Toi has steadily risen, overcoming his circumstances to take control of his life. Today, he not only has a stable job and his own home but also a loving family. Toi has turned the difficulties of his childhood into motivation to build a new life filled with love, sharing, and hope. His story reminds us that no matter how difficult our starting point, if we don’t give up, happiness will always be waiting at the end of the road.
