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Meet Rita: One of AHC’s first patients to receive retinoblastoma treatment

When Rita was just 2 years old, her mother noticed a white reflection in her left eye, and that sometimes her eyes appeared to look in different directions. Her mother first purchased medicine for Rita in the village pharmacy but after several days Rita’s condition had not improved. Her parents next took her to Preah Ang Duong Hospital for treatment. Upon arrival, the medical team conducted tests and, after a one-night stay, Rita was diagnosed with a form of eye cancer known as retinoblastoma. As a result of our outreach and communication efforts, Preah Ang Duong Hospital’s staff knew that AHC had recently added eye cancer treatment to ist range of services. As Preah Ang Duong Hospital does not have the capacity to provide cancer care, staff advised Rita and her parents to get to AHC as soon as possible.

Rita’s family lives in Kendal province, about 320 km away from Siem Reap in southeastern Cambodia. The cost of transport was a major barrier. Luckily, Rita’s parents were able to borrow money from a neighbor and make the five hour journey in 2014. Upon their arrival, Dr. Phara, our Chief of Ophtalmology, confirmed that the source of Rita’s eye problems was an advanced maignant retinoblastoma tumor in her left eye. Unfortunately, because the cancer was in such an advanced stage, Dr. Phara determined that Rita’s left eye needed to be removed to prevent the cancer from metastasizing to her right eye. After discussing the condition and operating with Rita’s parents, Rita’s left eye was removed by our ophtalmology team. She was soon transferred to our Inpatient Department (IPD), where she was monitored by our medical team for three days. Rita is now cancer-free and her right eye appears to be competely normal. Rita will continue to have follow up appointments with our ophtalmology team to ensure that she remains cancer-free.

When Rita first reached AHC, her parents were terribly worried. After speaking with and learning from our medical and ophtalmology teams, her parents felt confident that Rita was in good hands. We are glad, that Rita was referred to AHC so quickly and that we were able to provide her with the care she needs.

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