What once seemed like the end of his life when he was confined to a small room, where he even contemplated ending it all to avoid being a burden to others, instead marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey. With the love and unwavering care of his paternal aunt and his own fierce will to live, Son chose to rise again, even though his hands could no longer move. He engineered his own mobility devices, opened a small convenience store to earn an income, and, most notably, built a community bookcase. From a place that once only held darkness, Son lit a lamp of knowledge, spreading resilience and love. This episode of Station of Love is a profoundly moving story of overcoming adversity nd living with meaning and with kindness.
Born into a poor family, Son’s hardships began at an early age. His mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. While visiting a friend to borrow money for her treatment, Son was badly injured in an accident. By the time he was rushed to Việt Đức Hospital, his body was completely immobile. “Although I couldn’t move, I was still fully conscious. In the days that followed, I continued to dream about my mother. When I asked to call her, everyone avoided answering. I sensed that something was wrong, so I insisted that they tell me the truth. That was when I learned that she had passed away”, Son recalled. The shock worsened his condition, and due to the severity of the injury, doctors could not operate on his cervical spine. He was transferred to Bach Mai Hospital for rehabilitation. Eventually, however, his family had no choice but to bring him home due to a lack of funds.
Once a strong young man, Son was given only a 4% chance of survival. He was rendered immobile and entirely dependent. “All I could think about was ending my life to stop being a burden”, Son shared. “But even with that wish, I couldn’t find a feasible way to do it. I simply tried to stop eating, waiting for my body to give out”. The death of his father shortly thereafter only deepened the shadows of his despair. But in those darkest moments, it was the love and sacrifice of his aunt, Quach Thi Nung — who has cared for him tirelessly for over a decade — that pulled him back from the brink.
Her appearance on the Station of Love brought to light many emotional and powerful stories about Son’s resilience. He once wanted to end his life, but it was familial love that gave him the strength to carry on. He chose to live — and to live with purpose. From his bed, Son designed electric pulley machines and rehabilitation equipment for other quadriplegics. He ran a small convenience store to achieve financial independence, and, most significantly, created a reading space in his own home.
Son wasn’t a book lover in his youth, but he turned to books as a refuge for his soul — a way to transcend physical pain. He built a community bookcase where anyone could come to read, borrow, and share knowledge and compassion. This bookshelf didn’t just shelter Son; it also became a cherished place for the locals who admired and supported his strength.
In 2024, Son published his autobiography, Return to Be Reborn. The book spread positive energy throughout the disabled community. Many readers sent him heartfelt letters, expressing gratitude and saying that through his story, they found empathy, motivation, and even a renewed desire to live a meaningful life. Looking ahead, Son hopes to expand his collection and provide more children in his impoverished rural area with access to books. The gift from Station of Love aims to support him on this humanistic mission.
Station of Love – “The Bookshelf of Kinship” is a journey from seemingly insurmountable pain to a life rebuilt through knowledge, gratitude, and resilience. Quach Van Son’s story is living proof of the power of familial love, human determination, and the longing to live a purposeful life. Tune in to Station of Love at 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 5, on VTV1 to learn more about this incredible story.
