Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

Trying to keep dreams on track....

As parents and friends, we   sometimes see the goals and dreams of others sidetracked because of unexpected challenges like a medical event. In the developed world, these challenges may simply represent a delay and through the efforts of friends and family, things get back on track. In the developing world, the likelihood is that once a dream is “ sidetracked” , that dream or opportunity is lost forever.

We currently have 12 students in our Build Dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College “ program who are attending college classes and who are heading into semester final exams now. Each one of these students has overcome challenges that most of us would consider nearly impossible, yet here they are, moving forward to achieve their dreams of a college education.

Our program currently has a student who is faced with a grave challenge. Ms. P , age 20 came into our college program from our AIDS Patient Family Support Program ( FSP) . Ms. P’s family has been with the FSP for more than 10 years . Her entire family is impacted by HIV/AIDS. Her father passed away some years ago from AIDS , her mother and sister ( age 15) both have AIDs and have at times been quite ill. Ms P also AIDS and has been taking AIDS medications since 2005 but fortunately, she has never been symptomatic.

Ms P graduated from High School 2 years ago, where she had consistently ranked in the top 3 in her class .  Her graduation was quite an accomplishment as only about 40% of all Cambodian students ever graduate from high school , let alone students  who have faced and overcome challenges like the ones in Ms. P’s young life. Since her High School graduation , Ms. P has entered college where she is studying business.

The current challenge!

A few months ago Ms. P developed some numbness in her right hand. This progressed over several weeks to where Ms. P lost all use of her right hand. This means she cannot drive a motor scooter to attend college classes, but must rely on others. She cannot comb her own hair or hold a pencil to write. She is teaching herself to write left handed as a result of this. During Mark’s last visit to Cambodia, Mark , as is his usual custom, met with Ms. P and her family. After arranging for  local medical testing ,Mark  was strongly advised by two doctors to have Ms P taken Bangkok immediately to consult with an Orthopedic hand surgeon , something not available in Cambodia. Initial tests indicated nerve damage of unknown origin, which if left untreated could likely result in a permanent loss of use for the entire right arm.

Ms. P traveled to Bangkok with her aunt and uncle, who can speak some English and through our network of contacts and trusted friends, we arranged for Ms. P to undergo extensive medical testing.Because Ms P is  HIV positive, we also needed to determine whether this condition might in some way be  a medical complication of her current medication.  

The tests in Bankgok  indicate a condition called “ Brachial Plexitis” which is an irritation/inflammation of a nerve network   that serves to transmit “ messages” from the upper spinal column to the shoulder and arm. If left untreated, it can result in paralysis of that arm.

Ms. P returned to Phnom Penh because her final exams are at hand and she did not want to lose a semester of work.

Ms. P needs to return to Bangkok for an MRI and a series of 5 treatments with IV administered medicine once her exams are over on July 15.

Ms. P is determined to complete her studies, but for now, this “ challenge” is multifaceted: health, time and money may converge to derail Ms. P from her goal of completing a college education. But, even more important is that without proper treatment, Ms. P , at age 20, may lose full use of her right arm.

Our goal

Obviously this is not an expenditure that we planned for in our college program. In the developed world, there would health insurance and family resources to cover costs. But this is not the case here.

The trip to Bangkok for diagnosis and initial treatment came to $ 1500, the return trip for the MRI and additional treatment Is estimated at another $ 1500 to $ 2000. While modest in cost compared to the US, this is literally a fortune of money for Ms. P and her family.

Kasumisou Foundation programs have often acted as “family” during times like this. We are hopeful that you, our generous donors, will be willing to  help and  to fund some of Ms. P’s medical costs so that she can get back on track to achieve her dream of completing a college education. It would be a shame for her to have come so far only to be derailed by the challenge she currently faces.

Our sincere thanks to all of you for your kind support for all of  the students in our program .

Barbara & Mark Rosasco