Vichheka Sok

From Sickness To Brilliant Smiling

Written by Vichheka Sok

Eighteen year old Sreyroth and her brother Vuth, 19, live about two hours from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, in a small house with an old zinc-roof and worn out palm leaf walls. Together, they live with their 70-year old grandmother. Their parents died of AIDS years ago. As a result, they grew up experiencing many difficulties.

Sitting in her home on the old bamboo bed, Sreyroth says, “I am so happy for World Vision’s care and their effort to restore our health. I have hope now and I see myself looking like other children. I no longer have a big stomach or dry skin. I used to feel pain every night when I slept. I sleep well at night now.”

“I am so happy to have World Vision staff accompany and buy me good food during my stay in the hospital,” said Sreyroth. “I am happy because I think I will be healthy soon. Thanks to the blood donation made by the World Vision staff, and thanks to the financial and emotional support given to us by World Vision staff.”

“My brother and I now have a new life. We can take a good care of our grandmother who has tried very hard to take care of us.”

“I will try to study hard because World Vision provided me with a bicycle, so I will ride it to school and I hope to be a good teacher because I am in good health now.”

“I had no hope before the surgery. I was also scared of the surgery, but I thought I had to try it since World Vision staff was always with us and encouraged us to be strong. In my life, I will never forget World Vision and those who donated blood for our surgery.”

“I want to give BIG thanks to World Vision and all the people who helped us. We are so lucky to have you all,” Vuth says. “I will study hard to be a doctor, but I am not sure if I can, I’ll try. I love my grandmother, and I will take care of her because she’s already old and I am now healthy.”

Sreyroth and Vuth’s 70-year-old grandmother through a beaming smile says, “I hope to have a long life and live to 100 years of age, so I can see my grandchildren grow up to achieve their dreams. I am so excited for my grandchildren. I really love my grandchildren; I told all my neighbors that my grandchildren are healthy now and they will have a good life.”

“I appreciate all the support from World Vision especially the people who donated blood to help my grandchildren during the surgery. We are so lucky to meet good people like you. Without World Vision, my grandchildren would have died before me because of their sickness. I am so happy; I am able to smile from my heart now because of the very big help from World Vision.”

Sreyroth and Vuth are still being monitored by a doctor and given medicinal treatment. They are advised to avoid arduous jobs, and even simple chores such as sweeping the house or cooking because of the surgery. They keep smiling and appreciate their new chance in life. They are blessed.

Vuth sadly recalls, “Our daily food was just tamarind leaves mixed with salt, and sometimes boiled small fishes.” Sreyroth and Vuth looked really different from the other children.

“And because of how we look, other children in the village teased my brother and me with rude comments. They would tell us that we look like a grandmother and grandfather,’” recounts Sreyroth.

“I feel sad because my grandchildren got stomachaches so often and I didn’t know what to do and just rubbed balm on their stomachs. But they still felt pain and cried,” says the grandmother. “The doctors said there was a malignant growth in their stomach, and it could be cured if we had enough money to get an operation. Everything requires money, but we are so poor,”

The success of the operations would not have been possible without the generosity and sacrifice of World Vision staff, several of whom donated their own blood. The surgeries originally had to be delayed because the children were too weak and more blood supply was necessary. In response, Thano announced to all World Vision staff for blood donations for the

two vulnerable children. Many of World Vision staff donated their blood to help Sreyroth and Vuth.

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