Phearuos is a 23-year-old construction worker from Cambodia. She is the youngest child of seven siblings. Her patients are rice farmers. Phearuos likes singing and spending time with her family and friends.
Fifteen years ago, Phearuos had a serious ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Phearuos experiences ear pain, discharge with a foul smell, and headaches. She has difficulty communicating with others. Despite trying for a long time, Phearuos has had difficultly finding a better job because of her hearing and ear discharge problems.
Phearuos traveled to our medical partner’s care center to receive treatment. On April 28th, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, is requesting $925 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care.
Her mom said, “I am happy for her to have this surgery because I worry every day about the headaches and pain and how it could affect her brain. With the hearing problem it is difficult to talk to her as well.”
“I hope that the surgery will go well and my ear discharge and headaches will go away. I look forward to being able to communicate with people better when my hearing improves,” Phearuos said.