Ren is a 59-year-old loving grandmother from Kandal province in Cambodia. She is a retired rice farmer with two daughters, five sons, and 12 grandchildren. She and her husband live with their youngest daughter, a garment factory worker in the province. At home, she likes to listen to the monks pray on the radio and watch movies on TV.
Six years ago, Ren developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her redness, itchiness, and tearing. She says that she feels like there is a foreign object in her eye that is constantly burning and is embarrassed about how her eye looks. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage, wind, or dust and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside.
Fortunately, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, can help. On May 2nd, doctors will perform a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. Ren and her family are able to contribute $50 but need help to raise $175 more to fund the procedure.
Ren shared, “I hope after surgery my eye will be better and I won’t worry about it anymore. I want to see well and take care of my grandchildren.”