Background
Sum Srey Norng is a 15 year old female who lives with her parents and 4 siblings in Bor Em Village, Rominh Commune, Koh Andeth District, Ta Keo Province, Cambodia. In April 2014, she was in a traffic accident when she crossed a road to collect lotus roots and fruit to sell. She was immediately brought to Kunthak Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh City for emergency treatment. Unfortunately, because her left leg was seriously wounded, she had a trans-femoral amputation. She then stayed in the hospital for 15 days for treatment. Srey Norng’s family is very poor. The family is dependent on subsistence farming with minimal additional income coming from manual labor. Her parents work very hard to support her and their other children. They live in a small house in the village. Before the accident, Srey Norng was in 5th grade at the primary school in her community.
Intervention
After leaving the hospital, the doctor referred her to Veterans International Cambodia (VIC) Kien Khleang Physical Rehabilitation Center (KKPRC) to receive further treatment and rehabilitation services.
At the beginning, the clinical staff treated her with physiotherapy to strengthen her muscles and her stump. Her sessions also included counseling to gain a new perspective on her condition. She found motivation to get better and see a future for herself. The clinical staff transferred rehabilitation techniques to her parents so she could continue her exercises at home. They also provided a pair of crutches to her for walking until her stump became stronger. She was under a center follow up plan guided by technical staff until she could get a prosthetic.
In August 2014, Srey Norng was prescribed her prosthetic. She stayed in the center around 10 days for fitting and receiving gait training overseen by clinical staff, a crucial step for the initial wearing of a prosthetic. After a week of gait training, Srey Norng was able to walk independently and the clinical staff decided that she could go home.
Outcomes
Due to the PT and PO interventions, Srey Norng is able to walk independently with a prosthetic. She no longer needs help with daily activities. She can go to school again and visit her neighbors. She is now living a much more fulfilling life, as she no longer depends on the assistance of others.
Lessons Learned
Independence is vital to a person’s sense of self achievement, and physical therapy treatment and prosthetic/orthotic devices can help patients regain this. Srey Norng faced many obstacles as a result of her accident and she needed to overcome them. She stated that she was extremely depressed and that her life seemed pointless before coming to VIC.
Srey Norng and her parents are very happy because of the help of VIC and its donors. Now, Srey Norng’ s mother has more time to go to work and Srey Norng is able to go to school again.
