Pitou is a 15-year-old student in grade ten from Cambodia. He is from Prey Veng province and lives with his mother, a homemaker, and his older brother, who is a rice farmer. His parents are divorced, and his older brother is the main breadwinner in their home. Pitou enjoys watching English teaching videos on social media, exercising, and his favorite subject at school is literature. He dreams of working at a bank when he grows up. At home, he loves his mother’s lemongrass sour soup and eggs.
At age three, Pitou was burned by an open campfire near his home, which caused severe burns to his right hand. After the accident, his mother reported that he was taken to a private children’s hospital, where he underwent a skin graft. Unfortunately, she could not afford to bring Pitou back for follow-up appointments, which led to burn contractures on all four fingers on his right hand. Although Pitou does not experience pain, the contractures make it difficult for him to hold or carry objects, significantly limiting his daily activities.
When Pitou’s mother learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, she brought Pitou and traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On September 2nd, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help his fingers move more freely, enabling him to hold and carry items easily. Now, he needs help to fund this $652 procedure.
Pitou’s mother said: “After the surgery, I hope that my son’s hand will be like other people’s hands, so that he can hold the items more comfortably and other children will not make fun of his hand.”