Phnahach and Huynarn are a mother and daughter pair, 41 and 10 years old respectively. They both suffer from congenital ptosis, a condition that causes droopy eyelids, vision loss, and chronic fatigue. Phnahach has already lost 25% of her peripheral vision, Huynarn has lost 15%, and they both experience frequent fatigue. Without treatment, Phnahach and Huynarn’s symptoms will continue to get worse, preventing them from living normal, productive lives.
Fortunately, doctors at Children’s Surgical Centre can perform surgery to lift Phnahach and Huynarn’s eyelids, which should enable them to see clearly and relieve their fatigue.
Phnahach and Huynarn come from an extremely remote area of Cambodia. Along with Huynarn’s father, the family makes it’s living as potato farmers. They are part of a small ethnic minority mountain tribe and neither Phnahach nor Huynarn can speak Khmer, the Cambodian language. Luckily, Huynarn’s father speaks a little Khmer, and he took time off from farming to help them make the 14-hour journey for treatment. Phnahach and Huynarn’s doctors say, “he has been instrumental in translating between the doctors and the mother/daughter pair.” The whole family hopes Phnahach and Huynarn will receive treatment and get healthy soon.