This is Punlouk, an 11-year-old boy from Cambodia. “Punlouk has one brother and six sisters, and is the youngest in the family of eight children. He enjoys eating all kinds of fish and meat, and likes to play football,” says our medical partner, the Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC).
Punlouk has had congenital meningoencephalocele (MEC) — a neural tube defect — since birth. This means he has sacs of brain tissue and fluid protruding through a defect in his skull.
Punlouk is shy to go outside because of his symptoms. For $390, we can fund surgery that will reposition the protrusions back in the skull and correct the deformities, which could otherwise delay normal brain development.
After treatment, “Punlouk will be able to go outside and play with his friends without being shy,” says CSC.