The love story became charming thanks to Facebook

Since childhood, Ms. Nguyen Thi Van has suffered from spinal muscular atrophy, cannot walk, and must rely on the help of others for all activities. At 31 years old, Van only weighs 21kg and has a small body like a 10 year old child. In return, she is smart and brave. Currently, Van is the director of the Center for the Will to Live and runs a company specializing in graphics for foreign real estate companies.

Meanwhile, Neil Bowden Laurence is an Australian engineer who has been divorced from his wife for 15 years. Single life causes Neil to live alone, with very few friends. His daily joy is merely work.

Nearly 2 years ago, accidentally on Facebook and saw a picture of a Vietnamese disabled girl with a bright, radiant smile, Neil was strongly attracted. He sent friend requests and often left comments under the photos.

At first, Van didn’t pay attention. It wasn’t until a few months later that she saw the foreign man interacting with her often that she accepted the offer to get to know him. “I have a habit of reviewing my friends list from time to time. That time, I saw Neil often commenting under the photos, so I was curious and agreed to become friends. I proactively texted Neil to thank him. Since then, the two of us have talked and asked about each other every day,” Van said.

Van is good at English and smart and humorous, so the more Neil talked, the more attracted and impressed he became. He spent time learning about the Vietnamese girl’s life and was even more surprised and touched by the things Van did for the community.

One time, I saw Van post a photo of herself drinking tea, with the caption: “Is anyone drinking with me?”. Immediately, Neil commented, saying: “Can I?”. Van humorously replied: “When you come to Vietnam, every day I make tea for you to drink.” The invitation was thought to be just a courtesy from online friends, but who would have expected Neil to quit his job, book a plane ticket, and actually go to Vietnam.

“That time, Neil texted me asking for the address, and I enthusiastically gave it back. I thought Neil was just joking or we would visit each other when it was convenient to travel . Unexpectedly, he really came over and stayed for 3 weeks. When I saw Neil outside the door, I was very emotional and happy,” Van recalled.

A love story as beautiful as a fairy tale in everyday life

Every day, Neil helps Van with volunteer work and teaching at the Will to Live center. After every hour of work, the two spend time confiding in each other about everything in life. Van’s intelligence and sophistication made Neil gradually develop feelings. He is determined to conquer her. After that time, back in Australia, Neil often flew back and forth to Vietnam to visit Van.

In early 2018, he decided to quit his job and move to live permanently in Vietnam. Talking about this decision, Neil said it was “fate’s destiny”. Previously, he was a quiet person, lived alone and always felt lonely, but since meeting Van, Neil seemed to change into a different person.

“Every day I wake up I find life more meaningful than ever. Being able to work and help the community, especially taking care of Van, is a happiness that I have never felt before. There is always something new, intelligent, and attractive about Van that makes every day with her feel like a new day with unexpected experiences,” Neil said.

For her part, from the first time she met Neil, his sincere warmth made Van’s heart flutter. Van said the most touching thing was the time when she had pneumonia and had to be hospitalized for a week. Neil did not mind and stayed alone to take care of Van at the hospital. He bought her rice, fed her spoon by spoon, and ran around all departments to ask about Van’s illness. Even everything from personal hygiene to bathing Van and Neil did it all themselves. Neil’s dedication and thoughtfulness surprised and touched not only Van but also the doctors there.

However, when the two made their love story public, Van’s parents couldn’t hide their worry. Van’s mother was afraid that she would be hurt, so she advised her daughter to give up. “To convince my family, Neil and I often go back to our hometown to visit. Gradually seeing that Neil truly cared for them, their parents were very touched and also nurtured and helped. Up to now, the whole family loves Neil like his own son, whenever there is any delicious dish, he brings it out to invite his son-in-law,” Van confided.

Currently, Van and Neil have registered their marriage and are living in an apartment in Linh Dam (Hanoi). Van’s parents also moved from Nghe An to Hanoi to live with their daughter. Every day, Neil helps Van with activities at the Will to Live center that she founded. He also participated in teaching 2 free English lessons a week for disabled students here.

Talking about her special love, Van could not hide her emotions and said it was a “wonderful gift” from God to compensate for the disadvantages she had to endure.

“Neil is affectionate, thoughtful and very romantic. He takes care of me little by little without worrying about anything, even my tasks like bathing and personal hygiene are done by Neil alone,” Ms. Van said emotionally.

Van said, the two have never been angry with each other for more than a day. Neil is always the one who takes the initiative to make peace, and he is also the one who always remembers the anniversary of their love most clearly. Every time he goes to the supermarket or travels somewhere, Neil doesn’t forget to buy gifts to surprise Van.

You have to witness with your own eyes the Australian engineer devotedly taking care of Van to see the great love he has for the Vietnamese girl. During our conversation, Neil always gave Van affectionate, loving eyes. He held Van’s hand and gave her encouraging and encouraging kisses every time she told about the difficulties she went through. Van said that both she and Neil understand each other like themselves.

“Life cannot be predicted, but for me right now Neil is the most meaningful gift. Since having Neil, I have been thinking about longer plans in life like buying a piece of land, having a small house and living happily together every day,” Van shared.