‘Forest man’ Ho Van Lang is seriously ill

More than 8 years after leaving the deep forest to return to the village to integrate into the community, ‘forest man’ Ho Van Lang always has a smile on his face. This is also how he communicates with people. However, that clear smile is gradually fading away because of the cruel liver cancer tormenting.

Ho Van Lang in October 2020 when he was still healthy. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc In 1972, panicking after a bomb dropped on his village, Ho Van Thanh (born in 1932) took his eldest son, Ho Van Lang, who was not yet 3 years old, and left the village in Tra Phong commune, Tra Bong district. , Quang Ngai province left in the deep forest to shelter, living separately from the community. For more than 40 years living separately in the deep forest, the two “forest people” only know how to be friends with birds, plants and wild animals. They live in a house like a bird’s nest on the trunk of a big old tree, use dried bark and leaves to cover themselves, and eat fruits, tapioca, corn, and wild vegetables to live. In 2013, local people discovered that the father and son “forest people” should report to the local government to organize a search and bring them back to integrate into the community. During the days when he returned to the village, Mr. Thanh crouched and hugged the nostalgia for the forest until his death. And Ho Van Lang is living with his younger brother’s family, Mr. Ho Van Tri, in a house built by benefactors. “Forest man” far from the forest After 8 years of leaving the deep forest to return to the old village, “forest man” Ho Van Lang gradually became familiar with everything. The 50-year-old man knew how to make a living, take care of himself, and cook for himself every day. Every day, when the sun had not yet risen, Lang carried a basket to the fields as a habit. In the afternoon, he returned home and did not forget to bring a bunch of bananas planted by himself in Tra Nga village, Tra Phong commune to sell to traders. Although, it takes more than 3 hours to walk to and from back. “Forest man” Ho Van Lang was brought back from the deep forest to the community in 2013. Photo: TL Whoever he met, he also smiled. Mr. Lang loves to chat, play with the children and see everyone in the village as a family. Unlike many men in the village, Mr. Lang does not drink alcohol or smoke but is “addicted” to betel nut. In October 2020, during a business trip in the mountains, we accidentally met “forest man” Ho Van Lang. At that time, Mr. Lang was still very healthy. The work of farming and growing agricultural products makes him happy every day. But after more than 7 months of returning, unfortunately, “forest people” no longer go to the forest, but just hang around in the kitchen corner. His eyes are still towards the mountain, but his legs are no longer strong enough to climb the pass, wade the stream. In the late afternoon, Mr. Ho Van Tri, Mr. Lang’s younger brother, sat by the fire, cooking medicine for his brother to drink. The light woven through the bamboo slats into the kitchen, making the green veins visible on the weak hands of the “forest man”. His hand still holds a bag of betel nut, his hobby is making his teeth black. However, the carefree smile of the “forest man” is now gone, replaced by a sigh when the pain strikes. Mr. Ho Van Tri said that, after the Lunar New Year, Mr. Lang felt pain in the abdomen. The pain increases with increasing frequency. All day, he hugged his stomach lying down, his body lost nearly 10 kg, his health was getting worse and worse. Feeling worried, Mr. Tri gathered all the little money he had accumulated to bring Mr. Lang to the city. Quang Ngai medical examination. Doctors diagnosed Mr. Lang with liver cancer. For Mr. Lang, liver cancer is simply pain in the abdomen. But for Mr. Tri, he knew it was a cruel disease, causing people to face death. However, in order to be more certain about Mr. Lang’s condition, Mr. Tri took his brother to Da Nang for a check-up. Here, the doctors have the same diagnosis as in Quang Ngai. Mr. Tri quietly took Mr. Lang home to take care of him. Since then, Mr. Lang only knows how to hang around the house, his eyes looking towards the mountain, no one knows what the “forest man” is thinking in the bottom of his heart. In the corner of the kitchen, “forest man” Ho Van Lang sighed softly when the pain hit. Mr. Lang knows pain, but he doesn’t know what cancer is? All worries now weigh on the shoulders of younger brother Ho Van Tri. Dear quartet Leaving the old forest, it seemed that life had turned to a new turning point, but fate still pushed the “forest man” into twists and turns like it used to push him into the path between the mountains and the forest and lived with his father for 40 years. continuously. In 2017, Mr. Ho Van Thanh, Lang’s father passed away, he received the pain with sad eyes. He tried so hard to forget, but now he is burdened with the terrible liver cancer that is tearing his body every day. Mr. Ho Van Lang still suffers from the pain of knitting agricultural tools to earn a living. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Tra Nga village is very sunny this season. In the afternoon, the sun was dim again, the rain was about to pour. The weather in the mountainous region changes rapidly and is far from the plain. The same is true of Lang’s treatment. His brother’s cancer is being treated by Mr. Tri by “bowing to the four directions”. Not having enough money for Western medicine treatment, Mr. Tri once took Mr. Lang over 90 km to find a Oriental medicine doctor in Binh Son district. However, what drugs are enough to prevent disease? Even more pain came. “Forest man” hugs his stomach, crouching… Mr. Tri can only rely on his ancestors to go to the forest to find herbs, mainly apricots, to cook for his brother to relieve pain. “Since Lang got sick, I have offered nearly 10 times, 8 chickens each time. The cost is up to nearly 20 million VND. The house did not have money, I borrowed the shopkeepers in the neighborhood and then sold bananas, rattan trees … to reduce debt, “said Mr. Tri. Many times looking at his brother in pain, Tri felt heartbroken but didn’t know what to do. He also finds it difficult to understand because Mr. Lang has lived almost half of his life in the forest, why is he suffering from a serious disease at this time. “Fortunately, Mr. Lang is quite optimistic when he cannot understand the cancer he is suffering. Every time the pain eases, Mr. Lang sits and weaves baskets and nia with forest fibers and sells them to people in the village. Even though I told him to rest, Mr. Lang still didn’t stop working,” Mr. Tri said. Now, Mr. Tri just wants to have more money, feed his brother delicious meals, and enjoy life with the rest of the meager days. That idyllic wish seems difficult when looking in the corner of the kitchen, there is nothing but plants cooked for “forest people” to drink every day. Mr. Lang has cancer, Mr. Tri only knows how to cling to the forest to earn money to take care of him and his family members. But now, Mr. Tri is also suffering from a serious stomach disease. With many difficulties, he clings to the house of gratitude that many people contributed to build for Mr. Lang when he returned from the forest. Now, only miracles can help Lang recover from his illness. The “Forest Man” has stopped going to the forest, an uncertain future awaits him, although the village road is still much wider and straighter than the mountain trails that have been associated with Mr. Lang for more than half of his life. Mr. Dang Minh Thao, Secretary of Tra Bong District Party Committee, said that the District Party Committee had just coordinated with mass organizations to visit and give 3.7 million VND to support Mr. Ho Van Lang. Mr. Ho Van Lang’s family is extremely difficult, and his health is very weak. The District Party Committee is calling for organizations and individuals to support Mr. Lang’s family. In addition, he also directed local authorities to monitor health developments and provide maximum support for Mr. Lang.