Ponleu is an 18-year-old taxi driver who lives in Cambodia. He has three sisters and three brothers. In his free time, he likes to watch action movies on TV, listen to music, and drink coffee.
Two years ago, Ponleu was involved in a car accident in which his left thigh was lacerated. He went to a provincial hospital for treatment, and he recovered and walked normally again after one year.
On March 4, Ponleu fractured his left leg. He went to a private clinic, where surgeons performed an ORIF—open reduction and internal fixation—procedure and attached hardware to heal the fracture. On April 3, his parents took him to Vietnam to remove the hardware and perform an external fixation procedure. Pathology results from that procedure showed that he has osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that starts in the bones.
Ponleu knew about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), because his uncle had eye surgery there before. Ponleu returned from Vietnam on May 4 and traveled for eight hours with his father to reach Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre (CSC’s care center) for evaluation and treatment by doctors.
Ponleu’s left knee is painful and swollen, and it is difficult for him to walk. On May 9, surgeons at CSC will perform an above-the-knee amputation to keep the cancer from spreading and to relieve Ponleu’s pain. CSC requests $446 to pay for the operation, four nights in the hospital, food, and post-operative care.
Let’s help fund surgery for Ponleu!