What do you want to hear first?
Sokhom, our faithful househelper that has cared for our family for 2 years, is currently ill and unable to work. I have shared some details here, but basically she's been unable to open her eyes well, and has had a diagnosis of glaucoma. SHe has been to many cambodian clinics, has spent much money on drugs, and a trip to vietnam, she cannot work because of her condition, and she is flat broke. She is also the only Christian in her extended buddhist family.
Well, you're going to get the good news first. Dean was able to get her in to see a qualified opthamologist here in town, (He picked her up on his moto and took here there personally just last week) and she had a check up.
Sokhom does NOT have glaucoma, and she is NOT going blind. This is praise God, halleluia news for me! THere is nothing wrong with her eyes themselves. That in and of itself is a miracle!
What she does have, however, is "Aquired blephauspasms", which if I'm spelling it right, is the uncontrollable twitching of the muscles around the eyes. We all get them, when we're tired, or under stress, you know that twitching that you can't stop??? Well, I guess her case is more severe, as she can often not keep her eyes open, as the muscles contract to close the eyelid. There is no known cause according to the doc and the websites we visit, stress and fatigue play a part, and there is possible genetic issues involved.
However, here is the daunting bad news. There is no cure, as such. But there is a treatment: Botox. She can get injections around her eyes, which are said to calm the muscles and provide relief only temporarily, for anywhere from 3-6 months. THe doctor has the botox and could do the treatment tomorrow if we wanted. THe price?
$400 US.
That's an unbelievably exorbant price here in Cambodia. That's more than three months wages for Sokhom, and like I said, she's not been working. She literally has nothing, but what family has been providing for her.
Well, we got the call today. She phoned us to say she would like to have her job back, she wants to work, but would we lend her money for the treatment. She has somehow raised some of the funds, and has only asked us for $200. I don't know yet where the money came from, but I can bet it's church or her Christian community. I'm sure even if her extended family wanted to, they don't have that kind of money, either.
SO, now we're faced with a decision. Dean has dealt with this so much in his area of work. Cambodians who want to borrow money, pay it back off their salary, which is already meager at best. In some cases, employees disappear after the loan has been paid out, leaving no payback off a salary. It's a constant stuggle to know which money's to borrow, who to say yes to, and who to decline. There are so many factors involved. There is no shame in begging here in Cambodia, it's just seen as something people have to do. There is also no real social issue with asking for money either to borrow or have (to my knowledge, which is also meager.)
So, basically, we have to decide. Say yes, or say no. Yes, means we give Sokhom, (perhaps loan her $200, but I can't really see it ever coming back to us), and she gets a treatment that may only last, worst case senario, 3 months. THen what??? Another $400? What does her future hold? Saying no, of course, seems so wrong, as $200 to us, even out here, is really expendable money that we won't miss in the long run! We'll still eat, which is more than many here would say with the prospect of losing $200. We have been so blessed with financial security out here, that $200 in the reality of it all, is really just money. We would hardly bat an eye. But, will it really make a difference? WIll it be the right way to help SOkhom? Is giving her the treatment the best way for her to be financed? Does "loaning" her the money even give her a chance to get ahead, when she has to pay it all back? There are so many questions, we really need to seek God's council on this one, which we are.
ANd then the question has to be asked, Can't GOd handle calming a few eye muscles??? Of course He can, it seems like such a small problem! Maybe faith and prayer is the answer here, not money. How long do we wait then, seeking healing???
We will keep you posted on the outcome of this situation. It's a big deal, as I feel like we have Sokhom's quality of life in a delicate balance here.
So, if you were faced with such good and bad news, what would you do???
GOd Bless, we'll talk to you later.
L
:)
L
:)
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