Neh Bopha (L) before her swollen leg amputation, Bopha's body is unloaded at the Puthbochea pagoda (R) (Photo: Koh Santepheap)04 April 2007
Young Neh Bopha passed away
By Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Phnom Penh – Our generous readers may still remember about a poor 15-year-old girl named Neh Bopha whose bones were entirely ravaged by cancer, forcing doctors to amputate one of her leg in order to ease the pain from her extremely swollen leg. Nevertheless, the amputation did not do much as the young girl passed away and the doctors were not able to save her life.
Neh Bopha is an orphan who lived with her aunt in the Kbal Spean village, Poipet commune, O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province. Since her childhood, she never knew school at all as her aunt family is very poor, and her husband was working a laborer pulling merchandise cart across the border to Thailand. To help make ends meet, she worked to sew and repair torn clothes for other laborers, each day of work would earn her between 500 to 1,000 riels ($0.13 to $0.25) to survive. Unfortunately, one day, Neh Bopha fell into a ditch and twisted her right leg. Her aunt could only apply some menthol balm, the only medicine she could afford to buy. However, the balm did not help cure the swelling in Bopha’s leg at all, and it grew bigger and bigger.
Because of poverty, Bopha’s aunt could not think of any way to cure her, the young girl was left at home until her entire body was ravaged. It was then that it was learned that all her bones have been ravaged by cancer. When the disease became very serious, her aunt then decided to borrow money to take her to a hospital in Phnom Penh where treatment would be provided free for the indigent. At the end of 2006, she was accepted at the “Kien Khleang center for the invalid” where Cambodian and foreign doctors did all they could to help cure her disease. The doctors warned that she is terminally ill, and that all they could do was to help ease her pain until the final day. After staying at the Kien Khleang center for the invalid for 3 months, Bopha was transferred to the recuperation center at the Preah Ketmealea hospital where she was provided with medicines and food, waiting for her surgery to be performed by a foreign doctor at the Kien Khleang center. While at the Preah Ketmealea hospital, several generous people helped Bopha by providing her with money and food donations. Bopha received almost $3,000 money donations from generous donors from both inside and outside the country to help pay her hospital bill, this also allowed her to buy a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. By then she had high hopes that she would be able to return back home to see her village again.
At the Preah Ketmealea hospital, Bopha received great attention from Dr Kaing Vannarith who followed up on her disease. Later on, her swollen leg was amputated by a foreign doctor at the Kien Khleang center. Following her surgery, her leg pain subsided and Bopha asked the doctors at the Preah Ketmealea hospital to return back home. Dr Kaing Vannarith gave her a wheelchair before she left. At the end of January 2007, Neh Bopha had to return back to the Preah Ketmealea hospital again in order to obtain her medicines. However, this time, she did not ask to return back home anymore to avoid the trips back and forth to obtain her medicines. Dr Kaing Vannahrith said that during her second stay at the Preah Ketmealea hospital, her health condition steadily deteriorated, and during her last 2 or 3 days of her life, he had to call her aunt to come and help look after her. Her aunt arrived in Phnom Penh on 02 April, the following morning, at 5:45 AM on 03 April, Neh Bopha passed away. The doctors said that she passed away peacefully and no one even noticed it, it was as if she fell asleep. The Preah Ketmealea hospital provided a car to look for her place where her remain could be cremated. She finally received her last rite at the Puthbochea pagoda, attended only by her sobbing aunt.
Neh Bopha is an orphan who lived with her aunt in the Kbal Spean village, Poipet commune, O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province. Since her childhood, she never knew school at all as her aunt family is very poor, and her husband was working a laborer pulling merchandise cart across the border to Thailand. To help make ends meet, she worked to sew and repair torn clothes for other laborers, each day of work would earn her between 500 to 1,000 riels ($0.13 to $0.25) to survive. Unfortunately, one day, Neh Bopha fell into a ditch and twisted her right leg. Her aunt could only apply some menthol balm, the only medicine she could afford to buy. However, the balm did not help cure the swelling in Bopha’s leg at all, and it grew bigger and bigger.
Because of poverty, Bopha’s aunt could not think of any way to cure her, the young girl was left at home until her entire body was ravaged. It was then that it was learned that all her bones have been ravaged by cancer. When the disease became very serious, her aunt then decided to borrow money to take her to a hospital in Phnom Penh where treatment would be provided free for the indigent. At the end of 2006, she was accepted at the “Kien Khleang center for the invalid” where Cambodian and foreign doctors did all they could to help cure her disease. The doctors warned that she is terminally ill, and that all they could do was to help ease her pain until the final day. After staying at the Kien Khleang center for the invalid for 3 months, Bopha was transferred to the recuperation center at the Preah Ketmealea hospital where she was provided with medicines and food, waiting for her surgery to be performed by a foreign doctor at the Kien Khleang center. While at the Preah Ketmealea hospital, several generous people helped Bopha by providing her with money and food donations. Bopha received almost $3,000 money donations from generous donors from both inside and outside the country to help pay her hospital bill, this also allowed her to buy a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. By then she had high hopes that she would be able to return back home to see her village again.
At the Preah Ketmealea hospital, Bopha received great attention from Dr Kaing Vannarith who followed up on her disease. Later on, her swollen leg was amputated by a foreign doctor at the Kien Khleang center. Following her surgery, her leg pain subsided and Bopha asked the doctors at the Preah Ketmealea hospital to return back home. Dr Kaing Vannarith gave her a wheelchair before she left. At the end of January 2007, Neh Bopha had to return back to the Preah Ketmealea hospital again in order to obtain her medicines. However, this time, she did not ask to return back home anymore to avoid the trips back and forth to obtain her medicines. Dr Kaing Vannahrith said that during her second stay at the Preah Ketmealea hospital, her health condition steadily deteriorated, and during her last 2 or 3 days of her life, he had to call her aunt to come and help look after her. Her aunt arrived in Phnom Penh on 02 April, the following morning, at 5:45 AM on 03 April, Neh Bopha passed away. The doctors said that she passed away peacefully and no one even noticed it, it was as if she fell asleep. The Preah Ketmealea hospital provided a car to look for her place where her remain could be cremated. She finally received her last rite at the Puthbochea pagoda, attended only by her sobbing aunt.
3 comments:
A very sad story in a very sad country...May the Budhha blessed her soul and that she reborns into a better life...
Very sad to read this story. May God help Bopha have a next better life.
Indeed, and I like to extend my
sincere condolence to all her
relatives and friends.
I am sure she's in good hand, right
now.
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