For parents, there’s not much scarier than the helplessness of seeing your child suffer and not knowing why.
Just 15 days after Rainsey was born, Rainsey started struggling to inhale. His mother Nuon panicked. She quickly brought Rainsey to our specialised chest clinic to get checked out.
Our respiratory doctors suspected Rainsey had laryngomalacia — a common voice box disorder in newborns that causes noisy and difficulty breathing. Our doctors explained to Nuon that this condition should go away on its own after about a year. However, they continued monitoring him in the meantime to make sure everything was okay.
Now, at 18 months old, Rainsey’s still suffering from the same symptoms. He frequently gets respiratory infections that send him back to the hospital. In any other context, the next step would normally be to perform a bronchoscopy to see if anything else is wrong.
But without a bronchoscope to see into Rainsey’s airways, our doctors can’t test for other causes. And because there’s nowhere else in Cambodia to go for the procedure, Nuon is getting increasingly scared for her son.
“I feel so terrified for Rainsey. I developed an anxiety disorder because he was always sick and cried non-stop for months. Thankfully, things got a bit better after he turned one, but he’s still struggling. I feel stressed knowing that the medical team can’t best help him without the available equipment.”
Nuon, Rainsey’s mother
While the respiratory team waits to get the bronchoscope they need to accurately diagnose and treat Rainsey, they’re still checking on him every few weeks and doing everything they can to help him.
“The support from the gentle and kind staff has greatly relieved my stress and anxiety. Even without the equipment they need, I can’t believe how far my son has come under their care. I’m deeply thankful for the care we’ve received at AHC.”
Nuon, Rainsey’s mother
Our respiratory team has been waiting to get a bronchoscope for many years now. This equipment will positively impact not just Rainsey and Nuon, but so many other children and families who are living in fear without the proper diagnoses and treatment to help them.
“I feel so much for Nuon. She’s so scared for her child. She wants to know why this is happening to him. She wants him to get better. As doctors, we hate that parents like Nuon have to live in doubt and fear when the equipment’s not very expensive and very cost effective. Every life is so important. Even if we can save just one child with this equipment, it’s worth it.”
Dr Kong Sokchinda, AHC pulmonologist