Socheat Ngor11/27/2009
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)
Hers are the eyes that drive Peter Chhun and give Hearts Without Boundaries its mission.
Socheat Ngor is 2 years old. She is one of 17 children on a waiting list to receive help from Chhun's fledgling organization, that seeks to treatment and surgeries for children with ailing hearts.
Ngor lives in poverty in Takeo Province in Cambodia, south of Phnom Penh. Her father, Pin Kean, is a farmer.
When Ngor was 4 months old, she was diagnosed with not one but two significant holes in her heart.
Her parents have been told she cannot be helped in Cambodia.
Chhun says he recently spoke with Ngor's family in Long Beach.
Because of the economy, Chhun has been unable to find hospitals in the U.S. to sponsor the surgeries of the many children who have requested help.
So he is embarking on a new tack with families like that of Ngor.
"With our funds we cannot take care of all the children," Chhun said. "So Hearts Without Boundaries is trying to educate people to be helpful in their own causes."
Chhun said if a family like that of Ngor can take the reins and raise the $30,000 needed for surgery in a country such as Thailand or Singapore, which has the facilities and the personnel to perform open heart surgery, Hearts Without Boundaries will organize the effort and help the families arrange the procedures.
Chhun has already arranged for Ngor to be seen at Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap to have an American cardiologist, Dr. Paul Grossfeld, confirm the girl's diagnosis and discuss possible options.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
Socheat Ngor is 2 years old. She is one of 17 children on a waiting list to receive help from Chhun's fledgling organization, that seeks to treatment and surgeries for children with ailing hearts.
Ngor lives in poverty in Takeo Province in Cambodia, south of Phnom Penh. Her father, Pin Kean, is a farmer.
When Ngor was 4 months old, she was diagnosed with not one but two significant holes in her heart.
Her parents have been told she cannot be helped in Cambodia.
Chhun says he recently spoke with Ngor's family in Long Beach.
Because of the economy, Chhun has been unable to find hospitals in the U.S. to sponsor the surgeries of the many children who have requested help.
So he is embarking on a new tack with families like that of Ngor.
"With our funds we cannot take care of all the children," Chhun said. "So Hearts Without Boundaries is trying to educate people to be helpful in their own causes."
Chhun said if a family like that of Ngor can take the reins and raise the $30,000 needed for surgery in a country such as Thailand or Singapore, which has the facilities and the personnel to perform open heart surgery, Hearts Without Boundaries will organize the effort and help the families arrange the procedures.
Chhun has already arranged for Ngor to be seen at Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap to have an American cardiologist, Dr. Paul Grossfeld, confirm the girl's diagnosis and discuss possible options.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
9 comments:
Some people using kids or elderly to take advantage from people over sea...people just find any oppt. to make money or taken advantaged from other these days, they even used religions to take advantaged on people from oversea...
A lot of dumbhead and Pleu oversea people, that's why..?
11:24 PM
You think you are not Pleu and dumbhead!! We all human being and we are not perfect, everyone sould be Pleu sometime including yourself asshole. If you don't Pleu people , Puok Ah Chkuot Eng would die long time ago.Before UN came to help the Country I saw puok Ah Chkuot Eng don't have anything , don't you remember that!!!
People oversea bunch of chicken shit and ran away, we tricks you to get money so what..? you are no good to cambodia anyway..! we interested $$ only...hahaha!
Thank you KI for posting the story. She's my second cousin. We have been trying to get her to US for operation. Lack of funding have been an obstacle. If anybody know a way to get her here please let us know. You can reach me at jayvsin@gmail.com. Here's a video of her http://www.vimeo.com/7865211
12:37 AM,
Now you are one of the Pleu oversea. Why cannot you reply to the right person 11:29 PM?
11:24 PM didn't say anything about Pleu people.
Sugestion:
It is a perfect photo to put as an aid in the big newspaper. Describe such as she has to holes in her heart and needs urgent surgery. Seeking doctors or anyone can help to save her precious life. Or write to any hospital who can help perform heart surgery for free. Please always send her photo for them to look at her. She will steal their hearts for sure.
9:27am
Thank you so much for your suggestion.
small, innocent children like this one touches my heart and gives me great compassion for mankind. to to say they don't deserve a fair livelihood in cambodia. yes, there are more to cambodia than you and i, really!
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