She may be 85-year-old but this elderly woman still wakes up early in the morning and spends her day at the coastline of a bay in Vietnam just to support her 61-year-old mentally disabled child.
Every morning, Nguyen Thi Ro wakes up in the wee hours of the morning to pick some cockles and mussels to sell at the market.
Unfortunately, raking up just a few pounds of cockles and mussels is absolutely laborious for her frail body as it requires her to be in the seawater for long hours.
While she may get some cockles and mussels to be sold at the market after hours of being in the seawater, the harsh task often leaves her skin itchy and flaky at the end of the day.
It is common for Nguyen to get rashes as a result of hours of soaking in the sea.
However, that is the only way left for the elderly woman to support herself and her 61-year-old adopted child after her husband passed away when she was 70 years old.
Following her husband’s passing, Ngyuen decided to sell cockles and mussels at the market as it was tough for her to find other jobs, especially at her old age.
Fortunately, Nguyen always receives some help from her villagers who often offer to help her pick cockles and mussels and buys her daily catch to support her business.
Almost all the profits she gets from selling cockles and mussels goes to her child’s treatment and medication despite the fact that she, too, needs treatment for her rashes.
Life may be tough for this elderly woman but it never stops Ngyuen from staying optimistic and cheerful, all for the sake of her beloved child.
