Rathanak is a 10-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and older brother. His father is a primary school teacher, while his mother works as a rice farmer. Rathanak is currently in fifth grade and enjoys Khmer and math classes. He dreams of becoming a nurse when he grows up. He likes to eat apples and oranges and enjoys drawing and coloring pictures.
When Rathanak was four years old, he had a fever and received several injections in his right thigh. By the age of eight, Rathanak’s parents noticed that he couldn’t fully bend his right knee. His parents took him to a local hospital and he was diagnosed with quadriceps fibrosis, a condition characterized by the thickening and scarring of the quadriceps muscle, which leads to limitations in knee movement. This condition causes difficulty in bending the knee fully and impacts his ability to walk normally, making it hard for him to run and play soccer with his friends at school.
When Rathanak’s parents learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, they traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On October 8th, surgeons at CSC will perform a quadricepsplasty procedure on his right leg. This procedure will allow him to bend his knee more fully and regain the ability to walk and run like other young boys. His family was able to contribute $100 towards his medical costs but needs help to raise the remaining $382.
Rathanak’s father said: “I hope after his operation he can play with his friends at school and be happy in the future.”

