Cambodian boy's luck points to home

Alex Morales shows pictures to Cambodian heart surgery patient Soksamnang "Lucky" Vy, 14 months, and his mother, Ratha Pang, during a goodbye dinner at Sophy's Restaurant in Long Beach on Thursday. (Jeff Gritchen / Staff Photographer)
Soksamnang "Lucky" Vy sleeps while waiting for his flight early Friday as the toddler and his mom begin the journey back to their village outside Phnom Penh, following his recovery from heart surgery. (Jeff Gritchen / Staff Photographer)

Mother and her 14-month-old son board plane after his recovery from open heart surgery.

03/13/2009
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long BEach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LOS ANGELES -- For a young Cambodian boy whose name translates to "Lucky Friday," leaving the comforts of the United States for a bamboo hut in Cambodia on Friday the 13th, no less, might seem like a turn of bad luck.

But Ratha Pang, the mother of the 14-month-old boy, was all smiles early Friday morning as she prepared to take her son home after his successful December open heart surgery and recovery.

Soksamnang Vy, called Lucky by most who have come to know him in past months, had a dime-sized hole in his heart near the aorta repaired and has been declared fully fit to return to his village outside Phnom Penh.

Vy was brought to the United States for the operation, virtually unavailable to him in his home country, by Hearts Without Boundaries, a fledgling Long Beach nonprofit.

Without the surgery, Lucky would have lived a life of gradually reduced heart function, chronic fatigue and shortened life expectancy.

At his last checkup in February, cardiologist Dr. Paul Grossfeld declared Lucky's open- heart surgery a "100 percent success."

As Pang stood among a dozen or so family members and well-wishers and waited for her 12:40 a.m. flight at Tom Bradley terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, she continually steepled her fingers in the Cambodian gesture of respect and expressed her thanks in both Khmer and English.

Meanwhile, Lucky snoozed peacefully in a stroller.

"I've been waiting for tonight for a long time," she said through translation. "I think tonight it's really true that my son will have a regular life and I'm ready to go home."

Pang said she was eager to see her mother, her family and her husband.

She added that she hoped Hearts Without Boundaries and other organizations would be able to continue their work for poor families with no access to life-saving procedures.

"Thank you so much," she concluded in English.

Before leaving for the airport, Pang and Lucky were joined by about 20 friends and family members at Sophy's Restaurant in Long Beach, where they laughed and talked excitedly.

The scene was markedly different from last July when Davik Teng, the first patient saved by Hearts Without Boundaries, and her mother, Sin Chhon, returned home.

Chhon wept repeatedly and didn't want to return to the hardships of her life in Cambodia.

Pang, although she returns to an uncertain work and economic future, was able to remind herself that the journey was for her son and his health, according to friends and family.

"She says `America is nice, but Cambodia is home,"' Leakhena Chhuon, a board member of Hearts Without Boundaries, said of Pang.

Peter Chhun, founder of Hearts Without Boundaries, said he is beginning fundraising for a third child.

Chhun said there is a boy in Cambodia named Bunlak Song who is 14 months old and has several holes in his heart and is in dire need of surgery.

Chhun, a member of the advisory board at Miller Children's Hospital, says he has been negotiating with the Long Beach hospital to host the procedure.

Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas provided its staff and facilities for Lucky's operation and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles donated its services for Davik.

Chhun estimated it cost his organization $10,000 to pay for Lucky's trip, medications and incidentals and $16,000 for Davik.

However, as he made his way toward the departure area for the flight back to Cambodia, Chhun couldn't imagine doing anything else.

"Just to see another child breathe normal and live a normal life, that's a great thing," Chhun said. "There's no end, we'll continue to do this."

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Council honors heart patient [Soksamnang Vy]

HEALTH: Charity that brought him here is lauded, too.

02/10/2009
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Mr. Smith might have gone to Washington, but Soksamnang Vy, aka Lucky, went to City Hall on Tuesday.

The 1-year-old Cambodian boy brought to the United States for life-altering open-heart surgery, his mother and members of the Long Beach nonprofit group that made the trip possible, were acknowledged by the council in a short ceremony at the start of the meeting.

Peter Chhun, founder of the nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries, said Lucky and his mother, Ratha Pang, would "cherish this kind invitation forever."

Chhun said Lucky is just that, lucky to be one of the few among thousands of Cambodian children with similar afflictions to receive treatment that is considered routine in the United States but virtually unavailable in Cambodia.

Vy, who lives in a destitute village outside of Phnom Penh, suffered from a dime-sized hole in his heart called a ventricular septal defect. Although easily repaired in the United States, the defect, left untreated, leads to fatigue, heart damage and a shortened life expectancy.

Hearts Without Boundaries helped broker a deal to treat the boy, secured travel documents and arranged and paid for transportation and lodging.

Chhun said his group has found another child in need of open-heart surgery and is negotiating with Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach to care for the stricken child. Chhun said the cardiac team at the hospital was assessing whether the child was a good candidate.

Soksamnang is the second child the nonprofit has brought to the States. The first, 9-year-old Davik Teng, returned to her home in July and is reported to be in good health.

Chhun was congratulated by Mayor Bob Foster for his work. Foster and 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews presented Chhun and his group a certificate and Lucky with toys and Aquarium of the Pacific tickets.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Mending Lucky's heart

A happy Ratha Pang carries her son, Soksamnang Vy, out of Rady Children s Hospital in San Diego, where Dr. Paul Grossfeld, left, just gave the young Cambodian a clean bill of health. (Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer)

01/31/2009
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

SAN DIEGO - Her hands were pressed together in the classic Cambodian gesture of respect. Her head bowed up and down, up and down, and the tears streamed.

Ratha Pang had just been told by a cardiologist that open-heart surgery less than two months ago on her 1-year-old son, Soksamnang Vy, had been a "100-percent success."

"He should have a normal life," said Dr. Paul Grossfeld, a cardiologist at Children's Specialists of San Diego. "He just has a scar to show off to his girlfriends when he gets older."

Vy had a dime-sized hole in his heart, known as a ventricular septal defect, repaired at Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas in December.

Vy, whose first name translates to "Lucky Friday," comes from an impoverished village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He was diagnosed with the ailment in Cambodia and brought to the United States by Long Beach nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries, which arranged and paid for his travel and lodging. He is the second Cambodian child the nonprofit has rescued from a slow death.

The first child, Davik Teng, is back in her home village in Cambodia and doing well.

Grossfeld said Vy's heart function was great, there was no fluid or leakage around the hole and only a trace of seepage in the heart valve.

"Everything looks perfect, spectacular," Grossfeld said.

Pang, proclaimed it a "special day" in Khmer as she thanked the doctor and exchanged hugs.

Susan Grossfeld, who brokered the deal in Las Vegas after her husband's home hospital declined, was also on hand.

"Next year, we want to see Lucky running around and happy," she said to Pang.

The Grossfelds are among a group from University of California, San Diego that annually visits Angkor Hospital for Children in Cambodia to perform simple heart procedures.

However, more serious heart defects, such as the one that Vy had, require use of a heart-lung machine in treatments not readily available in Cambodia.

In the case of Vy, some Cambodian doctors had suggested valve replacement, a far riskier and in his case needless procedure that would have required multiple operations and the use of blood thinners for life.

Luckily for Lucky, Dr. Lyda Luy, a cardiologist in Siem Reap, recommended the more conservative choice and Grossfeld concurred.

Although Vy has been pronounced healthy and fit to travel, he will likely remain in the United States until March before returning to Cambodia.

While traveling to the appointment with Grossfeld, Pang playfully poked at her son's cheeks and pantomimed how they have filled out since he has been in the U.S.

Peter Chhun, the founder of Hearts Without Boundaries, explained that Vy has grown particularly fond of milk, which is hard to find and expensive in Cambodia.

Pang works as a cleaner in Cambodia for $60 per month.

The boy and his mom have also been introduced to a variety of Western foods.

Pang says she and her son are partial to pizza, hamburger, fried chicken and french fries.

Pang said Lucky is noticeably healthier since the surgery.

"He's much stronger. He's more playful and he moves faster than he used to," Pang says through translation as she pantomimes her son's movement.

"It's tougher for me to run after him," she adds with a smile.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

2008 YEAR IN REVIEW: Cambodian community in Long Beach, California

12/27/2008
Excerpt from The Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

Cambodian community

In 2008, Long Beach was introduced to a 9-year-old Cambodian girl from an impoverished village with no electricity or running water. Davik Teng, who suffered from a quarter-sized hole in her heart known as a ventricular septal defect, was discovered by local nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries.

The fledgling group brought Davik to the United States for life-altering surgery that was performed by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, which donated staff and facilities.

A second Cambodian, Soksamnang Vy, was recently brought over for the same procedure and is recovering in Las Vegas.

In other Long Beach-related Cambodian news, the United Cambodian Community nearly went out of business after it learned that payroll taxes had not been paid by previous leaders. The group was able to hastily raise enough money to keep its doors open and is on a repayment plan.

Wat Vipasanaram, a Buddhist temple in Central Long Beach, was in court most of the year after an election for a new board of directors was disallowed and is now being legally challenged.

And a nonprofit founded by Cambodian-American professor Leakhena Nou at Cal State Long Beach began gathering testimonials from Cambodian genocide survivors that could be used in the ongoing Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal in Cambodia.

The group plans to travel nationally to gather testimonials and staging symposiums. Its first event in Long Beach earned national recognition and a second event was held in December in Lowell, Mass.

Surgery repairs toddler's heart

Soksamnang Vy, who turned 1 Monday, was released from Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas a day early following open-heart surgery over the weekend. The Cambodian child had a dime-sized hole in his heart. (Vanta Le/For the Long Beach Press-Telegram)

SUCCESS: Cambodian boy celebrates his first birthday with release from hospital.

12/08/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

A Cambodian boy brought to the United States for life-altering open-heart surgery was released from the hospital a day earlier than expected and is recovering well in Las Vegas.

Soksamnang Vy, who was brought to the United States by Long Beach nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries, celebrated his first birthday Monday with family and a host family from Las Vegas.

He is scheduled to remain in Las Vegas for the week to recuperate and undergo postoperative checkups with cardiologist William Evans and surgeon Michael Ciccolo before returning to Long Beach.

"He's doing a lot better," said cousin David Kem on Monday. "He was scheduled to be released Monday, but at 6:30(p.m. Sunday) doctors said he was ready to go."

The boy underwent surgery Thursday to repair a dime-sized ventricular septal defect, a hole in the heart.

The procedure, done at Sunrise Children's Hospital which donated its facilities and staff, is common and the defect is easily repaired in the U.S. Such surgery is unavailable to children such as Soksamnang, who lives in an impoverished village in Cambodia, because of a lack of machinery and qualified doctors.

Evans said the procedure went smoothly and expects Soksamnang, nicknamed Lucky, to live a full, healthy life.

Members of the Cambodian community in Las Vegas were gathering today for a birthday celebration for Soksamnang.

Hearts Without Boundaries will have a similar celebration with dinner and entertainment at 7 p.m., Dec. 21 at La Lune Restaurant, 1428 Atlantic Ave. Cost is $40 for the public, $30 for students with ID. Information and reservations are available by calling Peter Chhun at 818-640-6191, Tina Thuch at 562-266-6275 or David Kem at 562-544-9627.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Soksamnang Vy recovering from open-heart surgery

Soksamnang Vy and his mother at their home in Cambodia (Photo: Long Beach Press Telegram)

12/04/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Contra Costa Times (California, USA)

Thanksgiving arrived in the first week of December for a young Cambodian boy and his family.

Soksamnang Vy, who turns 1 on Sunday, had life-altering open-heart surgery at Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The boy, from an impoverished village outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was brought to the United States by Long Beach nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries for the procedure, which is not readily available in his home country.

"We are truly blessed and thankful," said David Kem, Vy's cousin, upon learning of the successful surgery. "Without the community effort, Soksamnang wouldn't have another chance at life. From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank everyone."

Vy suffered from a ventricular septal defect, a relatively common and easily repaired heart symptom in the United States, but a lingering death sentence in Cambodia where access to heart-lung machines and qualified physicians is nearly non-existent, particularly to the poor.

Vy is the second child brought to the United States by Hearts Without Boundaries, a fledgling nonprofit founded by NBC producer Peter Chhun.

The first child, 9-year-old Davik Teng, had successful surgery at Los Angeles Children's Hospital in March and has since returned to her home village near Battambang in northwest Cambodia where she is reportedly in good health.

Vy will likely spend the weekend in the hospital recovering and could spend another two weeks recuperating in Las Vegas before returning to Long Beach.

Date for Cambodian infant's surgery is set

11/21/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Soksamnang Vy, an 11-month old boy from an impoverished village in Cambodia who was brought to the United States for life-altering heart surgery, has had a date set for the procedure.

The Children's Heart Center in Las Vegas, which is donating its staff and facilities for the surgery, has scheduled Vy for an appointment on Dec. 1, with surgery on Dec. 4 or 5.

Vy and his mother, Ratha Pang, arrived in Long Beach on Sunday, accompanied by Peter Chhun, the founder of nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries, which is sponsoring the trip.

The boy suffers from a ventricular septal defect or hole in his heart.

Although the surgery to fix it is relatively routine in the United States, it requires use of a heart-lung machine and expertise not readily available in Cambodia.

"The baby has a congenital heart defect that without surgery will shorten his life," said Dr. Paul Grossfeld of San Diego, a cardiologist familiar with Vy's condition.

Vy is the second child Chhun has brought out of Cambodia for the open-heart procedure. The first, 9-year-old Davik Teng, had surgery at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in March and has since returned to her village outside of Battambang in northwest Cambodia.

After surgery, Vy will likely remain in the hospital for three or four days to recover and will stay in Las Vegas another week or two for checkups.

If all goes to plan, Chhun says Vy should be well enough to return home by the end of January.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Second Cambodian heart patient arrives

Ratha Pang, left, is overcome with emotion as her aunt, Lim La, holds her son, Vy Soksamnang, after they arrived Sunday at LAX so the boy can undergo heart surgery that is unavailable in Cambodia. (Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer)
Vy Soksamnang sits at Sophy's Restaurant in Long Beach after arriving Sunday from Cambodia. He suffers from a hole in his heart. (Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer)

CHARITY: LB-based group Hearts Without Boundaries has arranged life-altering surgery for Vy Soksamnang, 11 months.

11/16/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LOS ANGELES - Lim La leaned against the railing waiting for the first glance of her grandnephew. Nearby her son, David Kem, husband Richard and other family members also waited eagerly.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, Vy Soksamnang - accompanied by his mother, Ratha Pang, and Peter Chhun of Hearts Without Boundaries - turned the corner at the arrivals area of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, and the tearful family reunion was under way. Only Vy, sleeping soundly in his mother's arms, seemed unaffected by the meeting.

Vy is an 11-month-old boy from an impoverished village near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, who came to the United States for life-altering heart surgery that was not readily available in his home country.

Earlier this year, the Kem family had learned of Vy's heart ailment and was devastated. By coincidence, David Kem had earlier volunteered to help Chhun, the founder of Long Beach nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries, which had helped a girl with the same ailment.

Vy is the second child Chhun has brought out of Cambodia for the open-heart procedure. The first, 9-year-old Davik Teng, returned to her village outside of Battambang in northwest Cambodia. Teng was also given a follow-up exam during Chhun's latest trip. Although she still has what doctors call "depressed" heart function, she is recovering well from the surgery and is living an energetic, happy life.

Like Teng, Vy was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect, or hole in the heart. It is a condition that left untreated leads to fatigue, breathing problems and eventually causes irreversible lung damage.

The Children's Heart Center, a Las Vegas hospital, has offered its staff and facilities for the operation. Although a date has not been set, it should be sometime after Thanksgiving.

The heart procedure is routine by Western standards, but requires a heart-lung machine and expertise often not readily available in Cambodia.

Chhun and Hearts Without Boundaries is arranging transportation and lodging for the boy and his mother.

Initially, Hearts Without Boundaries, with the help of Susan Grossfeld and her San Diego cardiologist husband, Paul Grossfeld, tried to broker a deal with Rady Children's Hospital, where Paul Grossfeld works.

When the California hospital backed out, Susan Grossfeld contacted Dr. William Evans in Las Vegas, who helped persuade his hospital to help.

Earlier this month, Chhun accompanied Variety Lifeline, which offered simple heart procedures to children in Siem Reap. It was here Vy was examined and pronounced fit for the trip to the U.S.

Vy lives in poverty in a bamboo hut with no electricity or running water. His mother is unemployed. His father is a border guard stationed far from home.

At a post-trip meeting at Sophy's Restaurant, an exhausted Chhun said the trip went smoothly and he was excited to be home.

Pang, although she suffered from motion sickness both on the plane and in the car ride to Long Beach, was happy and admittedly overwhelmed by her first encounter with the United States.

"It's so clean and so advanced," she said.

But mostly she was happy her child would get a chance at a full life.

"I am so happy, I have no words to describe," she said through translation. "Thank you so much for helping give my son life."

Vy and Pang will rest and prepare for the surgery at the home of the Kem family in North Long Beach.

Hearts Without Boundaries is raising funds for Vy's journey, food and medicine in the United States. Information is available by calling Chhun at 818-640-6191 or going to www.heartswithoutboundaries.org.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

'Lucky Friday' (aka Soksamnang) to get mended heart

Nine-month-old Vy Soksamnang, held by his mother, Ratha Vang, will be flown from Cambodia to Children s Heart Center in Las Vegas for heart surgery with the help of the Long Beach nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries. Vy has a ventricular septal defect, or a hole in the heart, the same defect that afflicted another impoverished Cambodian child, Davik Teng, whom the nonprofit helped receive surgery earlier this year.

09/22/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Lucky in Las Vegas. Sounds like a working title for a movie, but it could be a real-life fairy tale for a young Cambodian boy.

It wouldn't be right, exactly, to call him Davik II, but Vy Soksamnang, like Davik, may be able to receive life-altering heart surgery, possibly within a couple of months.

Translated, Soksamnang means "Lucky Friday."

Barring unforeseen complications in the boy's condition after more thorough examinations, Children's Heart Center, a Las Vegas hospital, has offered its staff and facilities for the operation on a 9-month-old boy from a poor village outside of Phnom Penh.

Dr. Lyda Luy, a cardiologist in Cambodia, diagnosed Vy with a ventricular septal defect, or hole in the heart, the same condition that afflicted Davik.

Left untreated, the condition worsens and can irreparably damage the lungs. The afflicted are often easily fatigued and have trouble breathing.

The heart procedure is routine by Western standards, but requires a heart-lung machine and expertise often not readily available in Cambodia.

A Long Beach nonprofit, Hearts Without Boundaries, will make the arrangements for the boy and his mother's transportation and lodging.

Earlier this year, the nonprofit arranged for 9-year-old Davik Teng, another impoverished child with a heart condition, to receive the same surgery at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Initially, Hearts Without Boundaries, with the help of Susan Grossfeld and her San Diego cardiologist husband, Paul Grossfeld, tried to broker a deal with Rady Children's Hospital, where Paul Grossfeld works.

When the California hospital demurred, Susan Grossfeld wasted no time. Her next call was to Dr. William Evans in Las Vegas.

"I picked up the phone and asked if they were interested," Susan Grossfeld said. "I got a call back an hour later and they said `Done.' As simple, as easy as that."

Peter Chhun, president of Hearts Without Boundaries, was thrilled to have the chance to help another child.

"Each time I receive this time of news, it's wonderful," Chhun said. "I'm speechless."

Chhun said he could barely contain himself when he got the good news.

"I jump up and down," Chhun said. "My co-workers look at me like I'm crazy. For me, this is beyond words. I just look up in the sky and say thank God for guiding me and helping another child."

Vy lives in poverty in a bamboo hut with no electricity or running water. His mother, Ratha Vang, is unemployed. His father is a border guard stationed far from home.

Vy will be examined by Paul Grossfeld in November when he joins Variety Lifeline, which makes annual trips to Cambodia to offer minor heart repairs.

Assuming Grossfeld concurs with Luy, Chhun, who will be helping Variety Lifeline, hopes to bring Vy and his mother to the United States then.

Hearts Without Boundaries is raising funds for Vy's journey. Information is available by calling Chhun at 818-640-6191 or going to www.heartswithoutboundaries.org.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291