Soeng Sona’s been working at AHC for the past 17 years. As Quality Lead at our AHC-COMRU microbiology laboratory, she’s spent her career working to stop the spread of dangerous bacteria and viruses amongst children in Cambodia. But these issues got very personal for Sona when her son Sakarach was diagnosed with a chronic lung condition.
When Sakarach was nine months old, he started struggling to breathe. Sona immediately brought him to our respiratory team to get checked out. A CT scan later confirmed that Sakarach had bronchiectasis, a permanent widening of the lung’s airways. This damage means his airways can’t clear mucus the way they’re supposed to, causing harmful bacteria to grow and damage his lungs more.
“I’m very worried about my son. Every parent who has a child with a chronic condition understands — it’s traumatic to see them suffer and know you can’t help.”
Sona, Sakarach’s mother
Sakarach has been in and out of AHC nearly every month since. His damaged airways mean he’s immunocompromised — constantly at risk of catching life-threatening infections. And without a bronchoscope to test the bacteria in his lungs, our doctors don’t have a surefire way to diagnose and treat him accordingly.
“Working in microbiology, I know the danger of treating with broad-use antibiotics. The more antibiotics we give him, the more resistant he’ll grow, and the harder it will be to treat his illnesses. But without a bronchoscope, there’s no way to be sure of what organisms we should be treating. As a parent, that’s scary.”
Sona, Sakarach’s mother
Without a way to diagnose and treat his infections, it’s dangerous for Sakarach to get sick. Sona therefore made the hard choice to pull her son out of school for three years to keep him safe.
Despite the lack of equipment, our respiratory team has worked with Sona and Sakarach to keep him as healthy and safe as possible. Now, at six years old, Sakarach is finally attending school, and his trips to the hospital are less frequent. But Sona still lives in fear for her son.
“My son can’t receive quality treatment without a proper diagnosis. I really hope we can get this equipment so my son and so many other children can get the best possible care.”
Sona, Sakarach’s mother