Chhay is an adorable four-year-old toddler who lives in Phnom Penh City with six members of his extended family, including his parents, two brothers, an aunt and his grandmother. His mother is a homemaker, and his father is a policeman. Chhay is in preschool and enjoys painting, learning the Khmer alphabet, and counting. He is also learning to ride a bicycle, and tries to keep up with his older brother.
For the past year, Chhay has been experiencing sore throats and difficulty swallowing. He has frequent throat infections accompanied by high fevers and a loss of appetite. Chhay was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist, and possibly intensify over time.
Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Chhay, which is scheduled to take place on August 3rd at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Chhay of his symptoms, and helping him live much more comfortably.
His grandmother said: “We hope after surgery he will stop having throat infections; it will be easy to swallow, and he will finally sleep well at night.”