Several months ago one of the mothers in our program gave birth to an infant with a life threatening disability. Without surgery, we were told by the doctors that he would not survive. Even with surgical intervention, according to the surgeon, he would only have a 10% chance to survive the surgery. Against all odds, Mother’s Heart staff began praying immediately for a miracle.
Not only did he survive the surgery, but his recovery was beyond everyone’s expectations. He had no complications during surgery, his recovery was quick, and he did not develop any post-surgical complications. He is an amazing testimony to our staff and we are so thankful.
The mother still has a long road ahead in caring for a child with both physical and mental special needs. We are always surprised, however, by the courage and strength of the women in our program as well as the hard choices they face daily. It is a privilege to support and partner with them
Mom has recently begun vocational skills training which will increase her opportunity to gain access to a higher paying job. The baby is attending Mother’s Heart’s daycare (Little Lambs) and is thriving well in the program. This month, an occupational therapist from Australia dedicated her week to come to Cambodia in order to educate the daycare staff and the mom on physical training exercises for the baby to help improve his mobility.
We want to say a special thanks as well to ACCIR(Australian Christian Churches International Relief) for the “One Day Funds” campaign which funded this life saving surgery!
When we first met one of our new clients, our concerns for her health and the health of her unborn baby were at the forefront of the management of her case. For the safety and confidentiality of our clients we do not use real names and so for this story I will use the name Sophy. When clients first enter our program at Mother’s Heart, we accompany them to RACHA for general prenatal checks. It was this checkup that confirmed what we suspected from our preliminary screen. Sophy’s blood pressure was high. She was suffering from a condition called “preeclampsia” which basically means “before seizures” . Our staff began praying immediately for Sophy and her unborn baby. Pre-eclampsia is a diagnosis given to women who suffer from high blood pressure during pregnancy which untreated can ultimately result in dangerously high blood pressure, seizures, and death. It occurs all over the world regardless of age, culture, or ethnic background. Our Nurse Midwife, Sreytouch, continued to monitor Sophy closely over the following weeks. When Sophy was only 33 weeks pregnant, she developed complications from the preeclampsia and her baby was delivered by emergency C-Section weighing only 1.15kg. Sophy’s baby boy was admitted immediately to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit here in Phnom Penh. He was placed on a ventilator, feeding tube, and I.V. Our staff continued to pray for a miracle that his lungs would be healthy and mature enough to sustain his breathing. God’s grace and answered prayers quickly followed. Sophy was discharged from the hospital a week later. Her baby boy continued to gain weight daily and after a few short weeks became independent from all the tubes and IV’s. He is thriving wonderfully and was discharged from the hospital just 4 weeks later. Thank you to everyone who prayed for Sophy and her son.
At Mother’s Heart, one of our goals is to assist the girls and women in our program in obtaining access to either vocational training or job placement. One of the biggest barriers to these opportunities is transportation and the cost that surrounds it. However, a bike can change a life in a poor country. Yet for millions of people on the lowest incomes, a bicycle is financially out of reach. Bicycles help to ensure that the girls and women in our program are empowered through improved access to food and water, employment, healthcare, education and social opportunities. This month, Mother’s Heart received a generous donation of bicycles from the Cambodian Bike Project. Thanks to their donation, 7 women in our program will now receive a bicycle to assist them with both affordable and sustainable
