Ratha is a 34-year-old taxi driver from Cambodia. He is divorced and lives with his brother, sister, and elderly parents. To help support his family, Ratha drives a motor-taxi and grows vegetables to supplement their diet. In the past, he worked as a jewelry maker.
About 10 years ago, Ratha was involved in a motorbike accident. He fell off his bike and landed on his left shoulder, losing consciousness for several days. His family took him to a local hospital, but they could not afford the necessary surgery. Instead, Ratha tried treatment through traditional Khmer medicine using bamboo splints, but despite this treatment, he experienced no movement in his left shoulder and arm. Subsequently, Ratha traveled to Vietnam for further medical care. Over the next few years, he underwent several shoulder surgeries in Vietnam but still has no use of his left arm and only has limited movement in his wrist and some fingers on his left hand. He can ride a motorbike with this limited movement, but experiences pain and feels frustrated that there has been no improvement in his condition after so many years of seeking help.
Fortunately, when Ratha learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, he was able to travel for six hours seeking treatment. On June 10th, surgeons at CSC will perform a joint arthrodesis procedure to fuse his left shoulder and to help him have some use of his left shoulder and arm. Ratha contributed $100 to his care and needs help raising $511 to fund his surgery.
Ratha shared: “I hope to use my arm again and work to support myself and my parents.”

