Near Tet, Captain Ngoi, 32 years old, an officer of the Economic and Drug Crime Investigation Team, Tra On District Police, lay on a hospital bed at the Rehabilitation and Occupational Disease Treatment Hospital in District 8 (HCMC) while a technician wrapped a bandage to shape the stump of his leg, which is longer than a hand span, after surgery. He was also instructed on physical therapy to strengthen his lower body and make it stronger, able to bear the weight of his body to wear a prosthetic leg later.

The incident happened to the Tra On District Police officers nearly three months ago. On the night of November 23, 2023, Captain Ngoi and three teammates were patrolling a sampan along the Hau River and discovered a wooden boat about ten meters long illegally dredging sand from the riverbed more than 20 meters deep. Members of the working group shined lights and fired warning shots into the air, forcing the vehicle to stop for inspection.

When Captain Ngoi stepped out of the boat, the boat suddenly started its engine and crashed into the working group's vehicle. He fell into the water, holding tightly onto the stern of the boat by inertia. At that moment, the propeller under the boat created a whirlpool that wrapped around his legs. "In an instant, I felt pain in my lower legs, then all feeling in my body disappeared," he said.

Captain Ngoi was given first aid by his teammates and transferred to Can Tho City Hospital for surgery. When he woke up, he was shocked to see that his lower body only had "a thigh bone sticking out". After the mental shock, he had to endure physical pain when both legs were amputated. There were nights when he couldn't sleep because of his injuries, thinking about the rest of his life as a disabled person.

However, the feeling of despair and pain was overcome after a few days. The 31-year-old soldier accepted the loss of his body. "The lost legs cannot grow back, instead of being sad and sentimental, I choose to think positively to overcome it," said Ngoi. After half a month in the hospital, he was sent home to recuperate. Because he was not married while his parents were old, his relatives and comrades took turns taking care of him.

At the end of December 2023, Captain Ngoi was transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Rehabilitation and Occupational Disease Treatment Hospital for training. Although he thought his wound had healed, he had to endure Phantom Pain Syndrome (neuropathic pain when the body is amputated). He still felt pain in the body part that no longer existed due to the influence of the nervous system in the brain. The pain ranged from mild to severe, the intermittent throbbing sensation affected his psychology and caused insomnia.

To overcome this, in addition to taking painkillers, Ngoi practiced positive thinking. When meeting strangers or acquaintances, he took the initiative to chat and joke. When his teammates came to visit, he even used the topic of his weight when he lost his leg as a "coffee bet" to create a comfortable atmosphere even though he had lost nearly 1/3 of his body weight. After practice, Captain Ngoi watched videos of people in similar situations to learn how to adapt.

Dr. Phan Minh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Rehabilitation Department of the hospital, said that the treatment process went smoothly because the patient was mentally prepared to accept his physical disability early on. An optimistic spirit also helped Ngoi recover very quickly, and his lower body exercises went smoothly. Phantom limb syndrome also affected him less than normal people.

After Tet, the patient is expected to practice for two more months before being fitted with a prosthetic leg. The cost of this device is about 600 million VND, and the hospital is actively soliciting donations. According to Dr. Tuan, if he uses a good quality prosthetic leg, Ngoi will be able to walk again.

When his health recovers, Captain Ngoi hopes to be assigned a logistics or administrative job so that he can live a useful life. "Many disabled people can overcome their fate, so I must be able to do the same," he said.

Regarding the above incident, on January 24, Tra On District Police advised the People's Committee of the same level to impose an administrative fine of VND50 million on two boat drivers illegally dredging sand on the river. The police are verifying and examining signs of crimes against law enforcement officers committed by these people.

Efforts to overcome adversity of captain who lost both legs while catching sand bandits

Dinh Van