A childhood shaped by disability and years of self-doubt
Nguyen Thi Luyen was born in Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa Province. When she was just one year old, she contracted polio. Although she received medical treatment, the illness permanently affected her mobility, leaving both her legs and her left arm atrophied. Thus, from being a healthy infant, Luyen became a child with disabilities who depended on her family for most daily activities.
A turning point came when Luyen saw friends her age going to school, playing, and joining group activities. Feeling sad and determined to live life like everyone else, she persuaded her parents to let her attend school.
Gradually, the joy of going helped her to her become more open and confident, dissolving her psychological barriers. She always reminded herself: “If others try once, I must try ten times harder”.
Academic achievements as proof of willpower
In 2010, Luyen was accepted by both the University of Commerce and Hong Duc University. To make studying and daily life more convenient, she chose to major in Finance and Banking at Hong Duc University, graduating with honors.
With her strong academic record, Luyen once believed that she would easily find a suitable job. Reality, however, was harsher. Many interviews ended in quiet rejection. Some employers dismissed her outright after learning about her physical condition. “It felt as if the whole sky of hope collapsed”, she recalled.
Yet instead of giving up, she found another path. Luyen started running a small tutoring class at home, earning a living through her own abilities and supporting herself with dignity.
Music - her long-standing passion - brought Luyen a special gift: her life partner. She met Man, the man who later became her husband, colleague, and emotional anchor, at a singing contest for people with disabilities..
Miraculous happiness - when people learn to love within the limits of their own lives
After getting married, they faced new challenges: unstable work, financial strain, and the pressures of raising children. Luyen experienced high-risk pregnancies due to her physical condition. Yet her two children - “little angels” as she calls them - became the greatest motivation for the couple to persevere.
Beyond her family, Nguyen Thi Luyen and her husband are deeply involved in social activities for people with disabilities. She currently serves as Vice Head of the Disabled Women’s Club of Thanh Hoa Province, regularly organizing meetings members share life experiences, and receive support in developing their businesses.
The couple also creates jobs for many people with disabilities, helping them earn stable incomes of 5-7 million VND per month. For Luyen, community work is about more than giving, it is about helping others overcome feelings of inferiority, rediscover their self-worth, and confidently integrate into society.
Station of Love - “Miraculous Happiness” is not merely a portrait of one individual’s fate. It is a journey of resilience, belief, and love forged from imperfection. Nguyen Thi Luyen’s story affirms the simple yet powerful truth that happiness is not the absence of flaws, but the courage to love and rise above adversity.
