Chanda is a cheerful 8-year-old student from Cambodia who lives with her parents and grandmother in Kampong Speu province. Her father works in construction, and her mother and grandmother are rice farmers. She is in grade two and enjoys learning Khmer and English. When she is older, she would like to go to medical school to be a doctor. At home, she likes fried meat with vegetables and chicken soup. Her grandmother is teaching her how to cook, and she enjoys imitating her grandmother in the kitchen.
Since the age of two, Chanda has had frequent bouts of pharyngitis - a common viral or bacterial sore throat. She has had trouble sleeping and swallowing for the past two years, and she frequently has a runny nose, fever, and sneezing, and does not feel well enough to attend school. She doesn’t want to eat food because it causes her pain, and she does not gain enough weight. Medications from the pharmacy have not helped her symptoms.
Chanda was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Chanda, which is scheduled to take place on August 1st. Surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Chanda of her symptoms and helping her live much more comfortably. Chanda’s family is able to contribute $100 towards the surgery and CSC is requesting $265 to fully fund the procedure.
Her mother said, “We hope that after surgery, Chanda will have good health and stop the infection. It will be easier for her to breathe and she will not miss school any longer.”
