Daily Dose of Positivity #13: An inspirational story

Her name is Trang Nguyen. She is a 17-year-old girl from a poor rural area in the Central Region of Viet Nam. Like any other family in that underdeveloped region, her family has had great difficulties in making ends meet. To make it much harder, the family was stricken with a series of misfortunes. Her mother was diagnosed with late-staged rectal cancer, her little sister with kidney failure, and her father had to have one of his gallbladders removed.

In the face of adversity, the young girl becomes the breadwinner and supporter of the whole family. She works all types of jobs, from construction worker to janitor to earn money to pay for her parents' medical bills and just daily expenses. After school, she would travel about 30km to her work sites, work until late in the evening, travel back home, take care of household chores and then study. Even in the darkest of times, even living in constant fear of the shark loans, and the risk of losing her loved ones, she faces life with big smiles and hopes for the future. And she still dreams. She dreams that she can one day go to the university to purse a degree in engineering or construction. She selflessly sacrifices for her family: she hopes to earn enough money for her family to have a better life.

Reflecting from her story, maybe you feel more grateful for your life now? If a girl in a situation like that can smile and dream, what prevent us from doing so?