Davik Teng
Vy Soksamnang
News
An Invitation to Lucky's Birthday!
Dear Friends,
Happy Holidays!!!!
Great Success: Heart surgery gives Soksamnang "Lucky Friday" a new life.
Thursday, Dec. 4, at 12:30pm (which is 3:30am Friday in Cambodian time), Dr. Ciccolo told Lucky's mother, Ratha, and Lucky's extended family in a private waiting room - "The surgery was very successful. Everything went very well as I expected. Lucky is now resting in the recovery room."
According to David, Lucky's cousin from Long Beach, after Ratha heard the good news, she broke down in tears. Dr. Ciccolo put his arms around her and hugged her for about one minute. Just before Dr. Ciccolo left the room, an emotional and exhausted Ratha thanked him profusely in Cambodian.
Later in the day, Dr. William Evans, a cardiologist, said the procedure went smoothly and he expects Lucky to live a full, healthy life.
After spending 4 days at the Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, Lucky was discharged on Sunday, Dec. 7 at around 6:30pm (which is 9:30am, Dec. 8 in Cambodian time). Although, he got discharged he will still be in Las Vegas another week or so -- until the first follow up with Dr. Evans takes place.
To put this story in perspective, Soksamnang had his open-heart surgery done, in Cambodian time, on Friday, the same day of the week he was born and he got released from the hospital on Dec. 8, the same date he was born one year ago. To sum it up, Lucky had his heart repaired on his "1st Birthday". "Lucky Friday".
Early this morning, Dec. 8, as Soksamnang rested comfortably, Ratha whispered a "Birthday song" by his side.
Happy Birthday, Lucky Friday!!!!!!
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you very much for keeping him in your prayers.
Events: NBC News local affiliate (KVBC) in Las Vegas will feature Lucky's journey on its news program sometime this week.
The Cambodian community in Las Vegas will hold a fundraiser for Hearts Without Boundaries and celebration of Lucky's 1st Birthday on Dec. 9, from 5 to 11pm.
Contact person: Narath Lach (702) 260-6127
Hearts Without Boundaries will hold a fundraiser and celebration of Lucky's 1st Birthday on Dec. 21, 2008, from 7 to 12 Midnight, at La Lune Restaurant, 1438 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90813.
Please read the attached flyer. Contact person: Peter Chhun (818) 640-6191
For more details of Soksamnang's story, please read the Long Beach Press Telegram story:
With much respect,
Peter Chhun
President & Founder
Hearts Without Boundaries
Tel: (818) 640-6191
This serves as a friendly reminder to reserve your spot for the Hearts Without Boundaries banquet this Sunday, December 21st at 7pm. (Flyer attached) Please note that seating is limited and will be arranged on a first come, first served basis with exception to those purchasing a table.
We are also currently offering the following discounts to those that would like to reserve tables, which seats 10 people:
~$350 per table reservation
~$300 per student table reservation
~$300 per senior citizen table reservation
I encourage you to take advantage of our discount and reply with the number of tables, or seats you would like to fill. Have a wonderful week and we will see you Sunday!
Tina Thuch
(562)266-6275
Organizing Committee
Hearts Without Boundaries
Lucky In Las Vegas!
Dear Friends,
After a four and a half hour-drive, Soksamnang (Lucky), his mother, Ratha, his uncle, David and his grandaunt arrived in Las Vegas Sunday night, Nov. 30. Per David, Lucky liked the long drive. He didn't cry at all. He and his mother loved the bright lights along the strip. Ratha was so surprised to learn that the sights are all man-made, not constructed by machines.
Monday, Dec. 1, at 10am, David accompanied Lucky and Ratha to see Dr. Evans, a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Heart Center in Las Vegas. After performing an echocardiogram, Dr. Evans said, "Lucky is a good candidate for surgery. The hole in his heart should be a simple fix."
At 12:30pm, Lucky and his entourage met Dr. Ciccolo, the surgeon who will repair Lucky's heart. Dr. Ciccolo briefed the family on what to expect from the surgery. Dr. Ciccolo said the life-altering surgery would take probably ½ an hour or more depending on Lucky's condition. He also told the family that Lucky will have to survive briefly by heart and lung bypass machine.
At the end of a long day, Lucky was cleared for surgery... No setbacks.
Lucky will have open-heart surgery on Thursday, December 4, to repair the hole in his heart and provide a new lease on life.
Left untreated, Lucky's heart condition would deteriorate and eventually lead to irreversible lung damage.
If all goes as planned, Lucky should be up and crawling around within three to four days after the heart surgery. Please keep him in your prayers.
With much respect,
Peter
Dear Friends,
Happy Holiday Season!!!!
As we're trying to pump our holiday spirit higher and higher to be ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year, Soksamnang (Lucky) is also getting ready to have surgery to repair a hole in his heart, known as ventricular septal defect.
As of this writing, Children's Heart Center in Las Vegas is ready for Lucky. Below is the schedule.
Lucky will travel to Las Vegas on November 30. On Monday, December 1, he will have the doctor's visits (go through a battery of tests), and surgery Thursday the 4th (possibly Friday the 5th). If all goes well after surgery, Lucky will probably be in the hospital 3-4 days, have a follow up visit w/ the doctor (maybe even the surgeon too) about 3 days after being released from the hospital and then maybe another appt w/ Dr. Evans one week after the first follow up. If all goes as expected, they should need to be in L.V about 12 days, possibly a couple days longer. Lucky is very lucky. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.
Please join me in thanking Lucky's host family in Las Vegas, Madeline and Narath Lach and their two children for opening the door of their beautiful home for Lucky and his mother during this critical time in the holiday season. Their act of human kindness will stay in Lucky's heart and his family and Hearts Without Boundaries forever and ever. And of course, without Susan and her husband Paul Grossfeld, a pediatric cardiologist from Rady's Children's Hospital San Diego, this open-heart surgery in Las Vegas would not have been possible.
For the first time, Lucky will celebrate Christmas 2008 in the U.S. with his precious gift (a new heart), a gift donated from our dearest hearts, our compassion and our commitment. Compassion is what makes us human; caring for one another is what gives meaning to our lives.
May God Bless You all. I wish you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I will keep you informed.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for your wonderful generosity in the past and I hope you will consider joining this new effort to provide life-saving medical treatment to Soksamnang in this holiday season.
With much respect,
Peter Chhun
President & Founder
Hearts Without Boundaries
heartswithoutboundaries.org
(818) 640-6191
Coming To America
Dear Friends,
Soksamnang (Lucky) and his mother, Ratha, will be
arriving in Los Angeles on November 16th via EVA
Airways. They will remain in the Long Beach area
until Children’s Heart Center in Las Vegas calls for
surgery.
Lucky is a very good candidate for open-heart
surgery, according to Dr. Paul Grossfeld, a pediatric
cardiologist from UCSD who led his cardiac team to
repair the heart defects of 18 poor Cambodian
children at Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem
Reap 2 weeks ago.
Dr. Grossfeld also examined Davik’s heart. He said
her heart is still a little bit depressed, but that is
normal after a major surgery. He suggested that
Davik should continue taking her medications.
More details of our mission in Siem Reap and Davik
and Lucky’s journeys later.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you
for your wonderful generosity in the past and I hope
you will consider joining this new effort to provide
emergency medical surgery for Lucky.
With much respect,
Peter Chhun
President & Founder
Soksamnang (Lucky), chosen.
Dear Friends,
A couple of weeks ago, I announced the kick-off of the 2008 Hearts Without Boundaries Campaign - an annual effort we undertake to make a difference in the lives of sick and destitute Cambodian children. As I mentioned, this time, Soksamnang (Lucky), a 9 month-old sick boy from a poor family was chosen for life saving open-heart surgery.
Even though our dreams are big, our resources are limited - Hearts Without Boundaries can save only one life at a time.
So, first, a heartfelt thank you for your past and present generosity.
So far, Hearts Without Boundaries has received wonderful generosity, in the form of donations large and small, from Cambodia, Canada, New York, North Carolina, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Tracey, San Diego, Long Beach, Covina, Santa Ana, and my colleagues at NBC News, just to name a few.
On Sunday, October 19th, from 4pm to 6pm, Alex Morales, a professor from Cal State Long Beach, and his lovely wife, Rosaura Villasenor, will hold a fundraising event to support Hearts Without Boundaries' cause at their beautiful estate in Whittier, CA. Please see the attached flyer. A few months back, Alex and his wife also organized a fundraising event for Hearts Without Boundaries to support Davik Teng. Hats off to both Alex and Rosaura. Their generosity speaks volumes.
Again, we hope you will consider joining us in making a difference.
On October 23rd, I will be traveling, for a second time, with a cardiac team from UCSD to work at Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The first time with this team was in October 2007. That's where I discovered Davik Teng. The team's primary mission, which is sponsored by Variety Children's Lifeline, is to repair Cambodian children's heart defects - in this case a life-threatening disease common to many poor children known as ventricular septal defect. During our prep-op evaluations, Dr. Paul Grossfeld, Susan Grossfeld's husband, will examine Davik to see how her repaired heart is functioning. He will also evaluate Lucky's heart to assess the progression of his heart defect. Hopefully, Lucky is still a good candidate for open-heart surgery.
If he is, on November 5th, I will bring both Lucky and his mother to the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh for their visa interview. If everything goes as planned, I'll accompany them to the United States on November 16th, 2008. They'll be staying in the Long Beach area until Children's Heart Center in Las Vegas calls for surgery. Please keep Lucky in your prayers. I will keep you informed.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you very much for your continued support of Hearts Without Boundaries.
With much respect,
Peter
"A journey of a thousand miles..."
Dear Friends,
As you know, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.”
I realize these are extraordinarily tough times. In the past few months, many of us have been worried about our 401Ks, our bank accounts, and high gas prices. But in Cambodia, #8217;s family has their problems too. They don’t have a 401K or a bank account, but they do have one worry that consumes them - how to find a cure for their 9-month-old boy’s heart defect.
I am hopeful, despite the economy--which continues to put pressure on all our pockets--that you will open your hearts (and your wallets ) in an effort to give Lucky a chance at a healthy life. For more on Lucky’s story, please see the attached poster.
We estimate that $12,000 should be enough to cover expenses, including: local transportation, passport fees, plane tickets, visas, Travel Health Insurance, nutritional supplements, healthy food, medications after the surgery, etc. It sounds like a lot, but with contributions large and small I know we can reach our goal.
Special Announcement:
On behalf of Lucky, it is with distinct pleasure and patriotic interest that I have accepted a donation of $1000 from His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia. In addition we have already received our first donations, including: $112 from a family in Colorado, $50 from a family in Asuza, CA., $50 from a family in San Jose, CA., and $50 from a family in Long Beach, CA. If you wish to join these donors and the campaign for Lucky’s new heart, you can donate via PAYPAL at
www.heartswithoutboundaries.org
http://www.heartswithoutboundaries.org.
Or you can send a check to
Hearts Without Boundaries, 744 Redondo Ave., Long Beach, CA 90804.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you very much for your continued support of Hearts Without Boundaries.
With much respect,
Peter Chhun
President & Founder
(818) 640-6191
"Imagine"-- An ABC7 Special
Dear Friends,
Just in case you missed "IT", a one-hour show called "Imagine" -- A Celebration of Children's Hospital Los Angeles on ABC7. Among the touching stories, they documented Davik's Journey to the United States to have her heart defect repaired at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
To view this incredible story, please go to the attached link
Here.
Once on the site, please click on "Watch our ABC7 Special".
Like Davik, Soksamnang Vy, a sick and poor 9 months old boy from a remote village in Cambodia, is also having difficulty breathing because of a heart defect. Soksamnang, in English, means Lucky. Lucky has a large hole in his heart, just like Davik did. He needs an experienced heart surgeon to repair it - and to repair it soon.
Lucky's life and quality of life both depends upon his receiving this surgery as soon as possible. This would help prevent the development of irreversible pulmonary hypertension, which would then contraindicate surgical repair.
Unfortunately, surgery for Lucky does not appear to be available in Cambodia. Hearts Without Boundaries, a non-profit organization based in Long Beach, CA, is raising funds for him and his mother to travel to the United States for curative surgery. In addition, through the kindness of Susan Grossfeld and her husband, Paul Grossfeld, we are able to obtain Dr. Rothman, Dr. Evans and their cardiac team to donate their priceless time. The Children's Heart Center in Las Vegas will also donate its facilities to perform life-altering surgery free of charge to Lucky's family. Every Cambodian should take a bow to this wonderful act of human kind.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for your heartfelt generosity in the past, and I hope you will consider joining this new effort to provide emergency medical surgery to Lucky.
With much respect,
Peter Chhun
President & Founder
Hearts Without Boundaries
heartswithoutboundaries.org
