A Cambodian Tale
October 4th, 2011 § 1 Comment
During the “killing fields” in Cambodia, doctors, nurses, educators, and literate people were killed. The Pol Pot regime believed that they could control the people, as long as they were not educated. Sophy Khan was a young boy who lived with his family in the city of Phnom Penh. They were told that Americans were going to bomb the city, so the people were evacuated and sent to the villages. Sophy was a seven year old boy playing with beans, which he got stuck in both nostrils. His nose became infected and an abscess developed but there was no access to health care. The infection was very foul smelling so the children and the people nicknamed him the “stinky boy”. They would not play with him. They would make fun of him and make him cry. He said this went on for “three years, 8 months and 20 days”. When the Khmer Rouge was defeated, international help arrived. Doctors and nurses arrived to find the Cambodians who survived the regime in very poor health. Dr. Khan and his family travelled on foot for over a month back to Phnom Penh. They made it to the city and the hospital for his care. And now? He is one of the surgeons working with us at Angkor Hospital for Children.
Monica, Recovery RN
Sophy Khan - Now a doctor at Angkor Children's Hospital
Dear Sophy,
Thanks for sharing your moving story. That you are alive is a miracle….that you recovered from such an awful illness, and unpleasant teasing, and that you are now a surgeon giving excellent care to so many is truly amazing.
For me it shows a true sense of the resilience of the human spirit….creating a wonderful life of meaning to so many, despite destitution and disaster. Congratulations to you and many of your colleagues who share a similar history. You inspire us all.