Darika is 11 years old, and lives in Phnom Penh City, Cambodia with her parents and her two younger brothers. She attends grade seven in public school, and her favorite subject is Khmer literature. When she grows up, she would like to be a doctor. At home, she enjoys writing stories and reading books to her brothers.
Darika has genou valgum or knock knees. It is a knee misalignment that turns her knees inward. Additionally, her left leg is shorter than her right leg. This causes her to limp, and if she walks for too long, her legs become painful. She shared that she feels embarrassed by how her legs look, and doesn’t want other children to make fun of her.
Darika needs to under go a procedure using metal plates to realign her legs, while lengthening the bones in her left leg. With the aid of our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, Darika is now scheduled for surgery at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, on December 12th. Darika and her family need your help to pay for this procedure, which will cost $469. The surgery, and physical therapy afterwards, will enable Darika to walk without pain.
Darika’s mother said: “I hope my daughter’s legs will be straight, and she will be able to be like other children, and not be in pain anymore.”
