Vlady Fresh

I’ve experienced tears of joy three times in my life: 1) when Silas was born, 2) when Cassia was born and 3) visiting a stranger in Kompong Cham yesterday.

I needed Leng’s photo for a newsletter article, so I decided to go take it myself. Upon arriving at his home, I was met at the gate by a sweet woman in her early forties. A minute later we were in her living room, chit chatting about this and that when a smiling, heavy set man sat down to join our conversation. I soon found myself completely at ease in their home, laughing and joking as if I’d known them for years. I so much enjoyed the conversation that I almost forgot why I was there. Where was our client, Leng?

Suddenly a three year old boy appeared and sat the man’s lap. It was immediately obvious that there was deep rich love flowing in all directions between the three of them. I was so moved that I had to ask, “May I take a picture?” “Of course,” the man said, “take as many as you like.” So I started clicking away, hoping that I would somehow be able to capture this family’s embodiment of love and joy.

After 20 minutes of chit chatting and taking photos, I leaned over asked Lokru Mony, our staff doctor, “So, when is Leng going to show up?” He looked at me quizically and said, “He is Leng. Why else were you taking their photos?” From that moment onward, I had to fight back the tears of joy. Never before had I seen a Cambodian with AIDS so joyful, loving, and loved. What’s more, in a context where nearly every person I know with AIDS is very thin or even emaciated, Leng was genuinely fat!

I reflected back on Leng’s story [see below] and realized that I had just seen a glimpse of the Kingdom. In a world where few things are as they should be, the restoration exhibited in Leng’s family prophetically proclaimed God’s ideal.

Leng Cheang is a 41 year old male client living in Maymai village, Kompong Cham. He has a fourth grade education and, prior to infection with HIV, worked as a truck driver. Leng’s wife, Lum Seecum, has a seventh grade education. In 2005, they became foster parents to Thom Meng, a newborn boy whose mother had AIDS. Since the birth mother did not have the health or financial resources to care for Thom, Sunrise facilitated his placement with Leng and Lum. Thom is now three years old and has had three HIV blood tests, all of which were negative.

Soon after becoming a foster parent, Leng’s health rapidly deteriorated. He lost his energy, appetite, and a significant amount of weight. He developed frequent severe coughs, high fevers, and chronic diarrhea. Eventually Leng became so weak that he could no longer drive a truck. Suspecting the worst, Leng and Lum underwent blood tests and confirmed that Leng was HIV positive. In April 2007 he became a Sunrise Home Based Care client. Since then Sunrise staff have cared for him and treated opportunistic infections. More significantly, through our partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), he received antiretroviral drug treatment—to which he has responded wonderfully.

Today Leng, Lum, and Thom are in fine health. Rather than returning to truck driving, Leng decided to pursue other employment. He currently runs a small farm where he raises pigs, chickens and dogs. [We didn’t ask whether the dogs were for consumption!] In addition, he grows spices, papayas, mangos, “vitamin fruits”, and various other plants. Meanwhile Lum received microloan to begin selling bread at the local market. They are happy due to their improved quality of life and a resolution of their family health crisis.