Blood cancer for mother of two TE Sreymom

My wife and I have faced many adversities in our lives, but non have been quite as overwhelming as the news we recently received : Stage 4 blood cancer. It struck like a belt from the blue, Surprisingly what really stood out in the consultant's advice was not the severity of her disease, but the rather cold calculation of time and money. Without chemotherapy, her time was estimated to be three months, with treatment perhaps six, and the treatment itself was to cost an astronomical sum of $6000 - a sum beyond our meagre earning.

As an ordinary, low-income household in Cambodia, this news plunged us into a state of deep despair, illuminating the socio-economic disparities in health care while revealing a bitter side of reality.

Speaking as the husband of my ailing wife and the father of our two children, I am currently incapable of providing for us due to my own health issues : a lung infection that has rendered me unemployed. My wife, earning a hard-won $300 every month as a maid. We are just making ends meet, living in my mum's house, but now, with the specter of cancer looming over us, the need for financial assistance has become more urgent than ever.

Coping with the imminent loss of my wife has been straining, the horrifying reality of living without her vest love constantly tormenting me. This pain is magnified by the sense of helplessness brought forward by the fact that it is not the disease that decide her fate but our lack of economic means. However, the thought of her departing pains me more.

This is our story, an earnest cry for help, as we fight for an opportunity not just for treatment or survival, but for dignity, hope and precious time together as a family, bound by love and amid the bleak prospect that we face.

In our darkest moments, solidarity and assistance from society can provide a beacon of hope. It is or fervent prayer that goodness and generosity within the hearts of the word will.