Phuong: Bomb Survivor - Track Star

I recognized her as soon as i saw her. At the first instant, i was slightly confused because i thought that we were visiting a different Clear Path beneficiary. My mind had decided that we were going to visit a family that had taken part in a pig bank program that CPI supports for survivors, but here was this vibrant young woman smiling brilliantly from her small home. i knew that i had met her before and i had a hazy recollection of zipping around sandy backroads on a moped with her... As we piled out of our vehicle i knew that it was Phuong, our track star -- there was no mistaking her. And for her achievements, she really ought to be as easily recognized by the rest of Vietnam. Last year when i had the pleasure of buzzing around with her, she had been a Clear Path outreach worker in her region, and we had been visiting other remote survivor/beneficiaries.

Now, in her home with her gentle, curious and beautiful son, Minh, i got to hear her story in detail. She was seventeen, she was working in some flooded rice paddies only 500 yards from where we sitting. An ill fated step placed her left foot on an explosive device. The blast blew her on to her back; the shock of it rendered the injury momentarily painless. Instinctually she attempted to stand back up on her shattered foot and ankle, and immediately pitched forward on to her face back into the muddy water. In this tragedy it was her good fortune that her father was nearby. He gathered her up on to his back and carried her out of the flooded paddies. When they got to a hospital, the doctors had nothing to repair -- the destruction was too great. Amputation was all that could be done. Severe infections from the paddy water kept her in the hospital for months. Eventually she recovered and returned home to work.

The explosion had shattered not only her limb, but also her self-esteem. As we sat listening to her story, i wondered where her husband was and why i didn't remember ever hearing about him. She explained: she knew in her heart and soul that she wanted to raise a child -- to be a mother, but just as certainly she believed that no good man would ever again find her attractive enough to marry. Understand Phuong radiates life, she is fit, and her totally spontaneous smile warms your entire heart. She is truly a beautiful person. Tragically -criminally- the landmine had robbed her twice. Phunong did what she felt she had to do -- she had her child out of wedlock. And he is a gem.

Phuong is thirty now. About three years ago, she heard about a local race for disabled athletes and decided to enter -- using her standard issue prosthetic limb. And she blew past the rest of the field. The race organizer looked at the prosthesis that she had run on and told her to try a sports model that his organization happened to have -- it didn't fit her correctly, but she ran with it anyway and took the gold in the competition. She found an expert Prosthetist in Hanoi and had it fit to her residual limb. It is hers to keep as long as she continues to medal. This September she will be competing in the Vietnam national trials for para-athletes and has the chance to represent Vietnam internationally in the Paralympic games. Her physical prowess, bravery and discipline have enabled her to cobble together all the small awards from her many track and field triumphs so that she could purchase the small house that she and Minh live in. Phuong runs the 100 meter dash, the 4x100, the 4x400, and competes in the long and high jumps as well. The only coaching she gets is from a sports organization director -- not even an actual track coach. She gets only three weeks notice before a competition and is expected to train intensely within that time to prepare the next race. She is in need of a new prosthetic foot, but has no means to afford the better models now available in the States. If you would like to know how to help us support Phuong's obtaining a new prosthetic foot please contact me (wolfbrolley@yahoo.com) -- i'll be working in SE Asia for a couple of more weeks, but will be on that project when i return.

Phuong's wins in Vietnam are truly for all of her fellow UXO (unexploded ordinance) survivors - as well as for all disabled and challenged athletes. We counted up all the gold and silver medals that she had stashed away in a battered suitcase, but came up a few short of how many she said she had won so far. Bashfullly, reluctantly she confided that when athletes from other teams come back empty handed from a competition, she gives them one of her medals so they have something to show their community. This is Phuong through and through. Amazing.

wolfgang brolley