Young Girl's Battle with Cancer

Soung Vanna first felt the pain in the back of her neck. Then it spread to the back of her head, causing severe headaches that left her screaming in pain. By the time the 13 year-old had been taken to see a doctor in Phnom Penh, she already feared the worst.

?I was very afraid of what the doctor would tell me,? she recalls on being told that she had advanced tuberculosis and would need to be placed on strong medication to fight the disease. But after a month of taking the prescribed medicine, Vanna?s headaches had only become worse and she refused to continue taking them.

Concerned about their daughter?s deteriorating health, Vanna?s parents decided to take her to another hospital in Phnom Penh to get a second opinion. Following further tests, the doctors concluded that Vanna had something even more serious than tuberculosis. She had cancer of the lymph glands.

When Vanna heard the news, her heart sank. ?I didn?t believe that they could help me because I knew how expensive it would be and that our family doesn?t have any money,? she says. The cost of $150 for each chemotherapy session, coupled with regular medicine expenses and the cost of travelling between their home in Kok Kaeo, Kandal Province, and Phnom Penh was indeed more than the family could afford.

Vanna was not the only one with a bleak outlook on her future. According to her mother: ?Before the treatment began, no one thought she would survive. She was screaming 20 hours a day and in a lot of pain. It was awful having to watch my own daughter suffering in that way.?

The first step Vanna?s parents took to help save the life of their daughter was to sell most of their land and several of their cows. It brought them enough money for the first round of treatment. But her parents knew that, if they were to continue the treatment, they would have to rely on help from outside their relatively poor family.

When AOC staff nurse Marie heard about Vanna?s condition through doctors at the local health centre, she immediately knew the family was in need of assistance. She visited Vanna and her family one morning to explain that, as part of AOC?s Medical Support Services, they would be covering some of the costs of the chemotherapy as well as supporting the family with food and travel expenses.

?If AOC had not helped us, we would have had to sell more things - maybe everything,? Vanna?s mother admits. ?Our family is very grateful to AOC for their help.? In partnership with the local health centre and money from Canada, AOC has been able not only to contribute $100 towards the cost of each chemotherapy session but AOC staff have also been able to demonstrate the love of God to Vanna, making regular visits to her home to see how she is doing.

Vanna?s mother acknowledges the important role that the Christian faith of AOC staff plays in their decision to support Vanna and other villagers suffering from acute or complex illnesses. ?We are proud of what they are doing in our village,? she states. ?We know that they are Christians who want to do good and teach others to do good.?

The prayers and support of AOC staff have certainly made a difference to Vanna?s life, although this has not stopped the teenager from having the worst seven months of her life. Seven months of daily chronic headaches. Seven months of feeling too weak to leave the house. Seven months of waiting to get better.

?I am always feeling weak in my body and have started to forget things,? Vanna admits. ?I have missed going to school and seeing my friends too.?

Although Vanna still requires three further chemotherapy sessions over the next three months and regular checkups over the next five years, doctors are optimistic about her progress and there is every chance that she will make a full recovery from the cancer that so nearly claimed her life.

When asked about her future, Vanna smiles the bashful smile of a teenage girl. Although she has traded despair for optimism about what lies ahead, she is still worried about the one thing that could affect her hopes for the future ? her hair.

?I would like to be a traditional dancer when I am older, but I have lost almost all of my hair. I hope it will grow back soon.?