Nguyen Thi Sam has two children with mental problems
Receiving the donations, Nguyen Thi Sam in Dak Mil District said she was delighted to receive such sizeable support from the public.
"I want to express my sincere thanks for your great help to my family," the 60-year-old woman said. "That's the biggest sum of money I've got in my life so far. I will use it to cover medical treatment for my two ill children and husband."
Sam and her children at their crumbling house
The woman also shared that since her story was published in the newspaper, many people have called her to express their sympathy and send their donations.
"An organisation has promised to help us rebuild our crumbling house," she said.
Nguyen Thi Sam has three children and her eldest son and youngest daughter have both suffered from mental illness since birth. They often scream and destroy furniture.
Sam gave birth to the son in 1996 and the daughter in 2000. She had noticed strange signs when they were a few months old but she thought that they were malnourished and underdeveloped at first. It took a long time for her to discover that they had cerebral hypoxia.
Sam's husband, Nguyen Van Duong was diagnosed with diabetes and spinal degeneration. After he was admitted to the hospital, Sam struggled to take care of their son and daughter at home and her husband at the hospital. Their second daughter was healthy but she has been unable to find a job and is stuck in HCM City.
Sam only depends on a modest monthly allowance for disabled people to get by. She also does odd jobs for a small income.