Ninh Tran a font of joy to all who knew her

By: Kevin Rollason

It was hard to live in Vietnam during the war and its aftermath. Tougher still for the many people who crowded onto boats and pushed off from its shores, not only hoping for a better life elsewhere, but for a country which would allow them to land.

Imagine if you were also living with special needs.

But, thanks to her parents, Ninh Tran, who was born with special needs and was 54 when she died in October following a long battle with kidney failure and other complications, was able to leave Vietnam and spend most of the past four decades of her life living in Canada.

"It was a brand-new life for Ninh after we left Vietnam," her sister, Cheery Tang, said recently about the help and support her younger sister received here through the years.

"Ninh was bullied by neighbourhood kids and looked down by many adults back in Vietnam. To many, she was useless. Many times these kids were older or bigger than us. Not only that, my parents forbade us fighting and so it was quite risky for us as well.

"In a way, Canada gave her a new life — more than just the basic needs."

Tran was born to parents Thieu Nguyen Tran and Tu Trinh in June 1965 in Saigon, in what was then called South Vietnam. She was the ninth child of five brothers and five sisters. An older brother and sister later died.

"Ninh never attended school in Vietnam," Tang said.

"There was no such facility in those eras in that country. In fact, due to the lack of a proper diagnosis, Ninh’s speech development was "destroyed" in a way.

"She rarely went out because our neighbour kids would call her a mute or crazy girl."

But through these years, as Tran grew older, the Vietnam War carried on, with the United States entering the war with more forces and then, in 1973, pulling out. Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army in 1975, just a few weeks before Tran’s 10th birthday.

That’s when thousands of Vietnamese began crowding onto boats to flee the country. It’s estimated almost 800,000 Vietnamese left by boat between 1975 and 1995.

Tran’s father, wanting to make a new life for his entire family, was one of them. He was able to get out by boat, and sometime later, like thousands of others, he made his way to Canada. More than 60,000 refugees from Indochina were admitted to Canada in 1979 and 1980 alone — with almost 34,000 sponsored by ordinary Canadians.

And a few years later, when Tran was 16, she and her family joined her father in Canada and Winnipeg.

"For the first time she attended school (Churchill High School)," Tang said. "She used some hand gestures and some kind of speech to interact with others. Somehow all of us understood most of what she said.

"My parents were quite happy and proud of her... I didn’t know what she meant to me until we moved to Canada. One day, as I was bathing her, suddenly I felt how blessed I was to have a sister like Ninh."

Tran, who was diagnosed at some point with autism, also had seizures beginning when she was a young child in Vietnam. Coupled with her special needs and increasing age, looking after her at home became increasingly difficult.

"She became more volatile and violent and me and my other siblings had to work or attend school, so life was hard for my parents and Ninh," Tang said. "There was this social worker who found out about our problems and he visited us to get Ninh to move to live with two other persons."

That house was run by Hope Centre, which is now known as Epic Opportunities.

"Hope Centre was a God-sent centre for her and for our family," Tang said. "My parents were too old to take care of Ninh."

Carey Richards, a co-ordinator of services at Epic Opportunities, provided leadership to Ninh’s support team for many years.

Richards said the house Tran moved into had two other residents who not only became her longtime housemates, but also her friends.

"The deep connection that developed between these three people became evident over the years in a variety of ways," she said. "The three of them all shared their love of music. Ninh would often join in singing songs in Chinese, or Cantonese. Her and her housemates would often dance together while music was being played.

"Ninh was often one of the first people who would get the folks around her singing."

Richards said Tran was also "an incredibly social person and made connections wherever she went. She was certainly the life of every party, whether it was her party or not.

"Ninh was one of the most hospitable people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She had an unforgettable laugh and an amazing sense of humour."

Richards said Tran also loved to bowl and won many awards and trophies through the years.

"Even when she became sick she still managed to find the strength to go bowling and see the importance of connecting with her friends and bowling community."

Richards said Tran was a caring person and a woman of great faith.

"She would be the first person to get the whole room praying for somebody who was sick or unwell. She had the biggest heart and made an impression on each person she met. I think it’s fair to say that if you ever had the pleasure of meeting Ninh, you’ll never forget her.

"Ninh lived, laughed, loved and brought so much spirit to the world around her."

Tang said her sister decided about 12 years ago to be baptized and their brother, Rev. Wilson Tran, performed the baptism.

Ruby Reimer, Epic’s executive director, said both Tran’s housemates and the staff who assist them, miss her "immensely."

"She will always be remembered as someone who made joyfulness a way of life," Reimer said.

"One could not be in her presence and have a frown on their face. She made an incredible impact on every life she touched."

Tang said she and the rest of her family loved their sister.

"God blessed us with Ninh," she said. "God has blessed me to have a sister like her.

"She has been a blessing to those who got to know her, to see her beyond her disability."

Besides her four brothers and three sisters, Tran is also survived by eight nieces and three nephews.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca