The disease “fell from the sky”
At the age of 20, Le Van Men got married. The bride just turned 18, pretty and bright. Life seemed to pass peacefully under the roof of the house next to the canal in Hiep Xuong commune (Phu Tan – An Giang), then suddenly one day two red pimples appeared on Men’s nose.
A few days later, the acne swelled larger and gradually spread to all facial muscles. I went to buy medicine and took it but it still didn’t help, the burning pain penetrated my nerves, shaking all over my head and neck. The skin on Men’s face was dark, hard as a rock, swollen to the size of a bowl, down to his chin. I can’t eat or drink, I can’t do anything.
Men’s body was emaciated and lifeless. His family took him to all the hospitals, even to Ho Chi Minh City, where the doctor diagnosed him with a tumor and had to undergo surgery. At that time, his family was in difficulty, so Mr. Men procrastinated until his condition became so severe that he could no longer undergo surgery.
Returning home, Men traveled throughout the Bay Nui region (An Giang). Whenever there was a healer, Men would come to see him, even inviting him to his home. Some teachers said that Men was hit by wormwood. According to the name of the medicine community in An Giang region, wormwood is a medicinal plant often grown by shamans to practice charms.
Is enchantment real or not, can it be used to achieve what people want or harm someone? Although many people claiming to be “insiders” have confirmed, enchantment is still A mysterious story whose truth no one has been able to prove.
Because she couldn’t explain the illness that seemed to fall from the sky on her head, Men always kept a belief that she had accidentally fallen under a spell somewhere without knowing it. When she is sick, she prays to all directions. Men’s wife sold all the gold bracelets and wedding rings on her body to accompany her husband on the path to healing. They did everything they could.
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| Le Van Men’s 20 year old wedding photo. |
Men said, some doctors used leaves to cover his face, some doctors treated him by steaming, others gave him oral… Men’s body contained countless types of medicine. The face was tormented, torn, molded, and squeezed in all kinds of ways.
Among the countless doctors Men came to visit, only the traditional doctor in Kien Giang gave Men some medicine to relieve his pain. When the swollen layers collapsed, it left behind loose, wobbly, and hanging skin bags on Men’s face, deforming her face.
The terrible pain before disappeared, and instead, Men became a young man with a face unlike anyone else. The layers of skin are getting longer and longer, the wrinkles are more numerous, the lips are flared and covered like a rhinoceros’ snout, and the eyes and nose are also deformed.
Men’s wife is always by his side to care for, encourage and comfort her husband. They just think that it is a disease that will be cured. Even if they are hit by a curse, there is still an antidote, so hope has never died in this small family.
Previously a healthy young man, Men worked everywhere and was the breadwinner in the family. From the day he got sick, Men had to stay at home because no one would hire him with such an unusual face. Life was difficult and illness plagued her. Men felt helpless and hopeless because she could not fulfill her responsibilities as a husband. He advised his wife to find new happiness. Wiping away her tears, the young woman walked away. She returned to her biological parents’ house to live. At first, she still regularly came home to take care of him. 2 years later, she hesitantly asked her husband: “Now I have someone to love, will you let me have it?”. Without a second thought, Men nodded immediately.
“She is happy, has good children and I feel secure and satisfied,” Men felt a little sad when talking about his ex-wife. Having a new family, she still comes back to visit Men from time to time.
Now, every time someone asks about his wife, he always has respectful and selfless words. Men still keeps countless wedding photos of the two of them, so that when he is sad or lonely, he can take them out to comfort himself.
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| With a deformed face, Men has suffered and suffered from low self-esteem for the past 15 years. |
Dreaming of having a normal face
The small loving house of Men and her children has nothing of value. People in the area sympathized with Men’s situation and occasionally offered some material help. To have food every day, Men still has to work as a hired laborer.
Five years ago, an American doctor who came to Vietnam met Men for treatment advice. After reading the file and examining the overall condition, this doctor shook his head. He said that nerve number 7 on both sides of Men’s cheeks was paralyzed, so he could not perform orthopedic surgery or skin transplants. Weary at the knees, despairing over his illness, Men thought about giving up and leaving it to fate.
15 years of having a deformed body was the time when Men lived alone, cowering in the corner of the house. He limits going out as much as possible, completely cutting off funerals and joys. Knowing his situation and his inferiority complex, the villagers also avoided inviting him to participate in crowded events.
Whenever children see Men, they cry and run away in fear. They avoid him from afar. “I only have one wish: to return to a normal face, to live as a human being, why is it so difficult?” Mr. Men choked up.
His lips sag down to his chin and his teeth stay on top, so Mr. Men’s eating and drinking experience is miserable. Every time he eats, he has to use a towel to catch and catch the food rushing out of his mouth. He chewed briefly and then swallowed it, but if he continued to enjoy it leisurely, the food would flow back out.
When drinking water, you must use a straw and always hold it in your mouth. If you open it just a little, it will all flow out. Men’s voice is also hindered by jaw muscles and excess flesh in the mouth. It’s both slurred and slurred, very difficult to hear.
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| The doctor examined and advised Men. |
It is possible that Mr. Men’s facial deformity is due to oral tissue. Surgery can reshape and remove excess flesh but must still ensure the facial nerve is protected. Mr. Men’s eyes are always red and swollen because the weight of his face and too much skin pulls his eyes and nostrils down.
This is a serious case, so it cannot be treated in a day or two. The doctor had to connect with both domestic and foreign cosmetic experts to come up with a facial reconstruction method for Mr. Men.
Even though it was only a fragile glimmer of hope, Mr. Men felt that his faith had returned. He had the right to dream that one day in the near future, the mask of horror that had tormented his life would be removed. On the way back to his hometown, An Giang, Men smiled optimistically…
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