The world of Tzu Chi December 2024 (Vol.152)

TZU CHI 152 17 me. I am so touched and grateful.” Beside him, Noem Nao’s eyes brimmed with gratitude. She had never imagined her request would be answered, much less that her husband’s hope would be restored. Love in the operating room In the makeshift operating room at Bavel Referral Hospital, nine-year-old Horm Tola lay on the operating table. Despite local anaesthesia and his mother’s comforting presence, he could not help crying. Observing this, a volunteer promptly played cartoons on her phone to divert his attention and calm him. Horm Tola was born with webbed fingers: his right thumb and index finger, middle and ring fingers, and left index and middle fingers were fused together. At three years old, he underwent surgery in Siem Reap to separate his right thumb and index finger, but the remaining fingers were left untreated due to the complexity and risks of the procedure. The deformities made daily tasks difficult and subjected him to ridicule at school. “Mum, why are my hands different from my friends? When can I undergo surgery again so they can be normal?” he often asked, leaving his mother, Chiw Sok Phana, in tears, unable to give him an answer. When the Tzu Chi team arrived in mid- October for patient screenings, Chiw Sok Phana brought him for an evaluation. She was overjoyed learning that surgeons from overseas would come and operate on her son during the coming outreach. On November 1, after a detailed assessment, Dr. Fong Poh Him decided to operate only on Horm Tola’s left hand, as surgery was deemed unsuitable for the right hand due to the fusion of the bones. Fearful of the unknown, the boy burst into tears before the surgery. Volunteers and nurses around him gently embraced and comforted him. During the operation, his mother shielded his eyes while a nurse gently turned his face away from the procedure. These thoughtful gestures helped calm not only the boy, but also the anxious mother. Post-surgery, Horm Tola looked at his bandaged hand and said, “It doesn’t hurt at all.” His mother replied with relief, “Once the bandages are removed a week later, your hand will be just like the other children’s.” Horm Tola’s smile lit up the room as he shyly thanked Dr. Fong for the surgery. Despite the basic facilities at the makeshift operating room, an experienced Dr. Fong seized the opportunity to transform the boy’s future, exemplifying that where there is love, there is always hope. Dr. Fong Poh Him was relieved to be able to perform a timely surgery for Horm Tola, knowing that further delay could result in permanent disability. [Photo by Ho Wei Mee]