Dear CCAM Partners and Friends,

While I was still in Cambodia, my right eye became totally blind because of the tumor pressing on the nerve. Soon after that, my left eye also began to get blurry. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting increased. I knew that if the tumor kept growing like that, I would be dead in a matter of weeks! But many people around the world joined with CCAM to pray, asking the Lord Jesus Christ to help.

In our part of the world, we couldn't locate any doctor or hospital equipped to treat this kind of tumor. But even if we could have found such a place, they probably wouldn't have been willing to help me, since I required complete financial aid.

Dr. Andres, our school doctor, told Mommy Gioia that she should get me across the ocean right away, before I became too sick to travel. But the problem was that we had not been officially accepted for treatment at any particular place, although most of the available opportunities were in the United States.

Since God had already provided enough financial donations to cover my visa and two airline tickets, Mommy Gioia decided to move ahead by faith. And that's when the miracles began to happen!

First, I got an appointment at the U.S. Consulate the day after we requested it. I suddenly felt better that day, so that I could go with Mommy for my interview. On the very next day, my medical visa was ready for pick-up. Two days after that, Mommy and I got the last two seats on the only available flight to the U.S. that week. During the long flight, I experienced only moderate symptoms.

Since we weren't sure where we would end up, we had purchased tickets to Chicago, which is centrally located in the United States. When we arrived in Chicago, the friends who met us verified that the administrator of Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, had officially invited us to come there. After waiting for only two more hours in the airport, we boarded a flight to Jacksonville.

A kid's ambulance met us at the airport and took me to the emergency room, where Dr. Aldana examined me and ordered lots of tests. In the morning, he and Dr. Roy performed surgery on the tumor through my nose. But they couldn't get it all out, because it started bleeding too much. They had to stop the surgery and give me blood transfusions to save my life.

And then another miracle happened. When I woke up from the surgery, I realized that the sight in my left eye had been totally restored! And it has remained so even until today.

After I recovered from that surgery, the doctors tried again to reach the tumor by removing part of my skull and most of my face! After 20 hours, they thought they had gotten all of it out. But later the MRI picture showed that a small piece the size of a raisin still remained. We all hoped that it wouldn't grow back.

Following that long surgery, I was very sick with infections and fevers for many weeks. Also, spinal fluid was leaking in my head, so the doctors had to put a drain tube in my back until the leak hole healed shut. During that time, I had to lie flat on my back, suffering from headaches and nausea.

After the drain tube was removed, it took many days of practicing to be able to sit up without headaches, dizziness, and vomiting. Then I had to learn to stand and walk again. That's when the many months of physical therapy began.

Because of infection or allergy from the sutures, my scalp incision refused to heal properly. Therefore, surgical revisions were necessary. Finally, after many more weeks, the incision began to heal.

Then Dr. Aldana ordered a follow-up MRI to check inside my head. He found that the tumor was growing back from two different places! In another month, the MRI pictures showed that three tumors were joining together to create one tumor much larger than the original one! Again, that giant tumor was very close to my eyes.

So Dr. Deshmukh decided to give me radiation treatments in lower than normal doses twice a day for five weeks, hoping to shrink the tumor without damaging my eyes, my brain, or other places inside my head. After just a few days of radiation, the MRI showed that the tumor shrank by 25%. But for the remainder of the treatments there was no further change. During radiation therapy, I suffered from nausea, vomiting, dizziness, itching, and fatigue. Also, my hair began to fall out in round patches.

After the radiation was finished, Mommy learned how to give me daily injections of the drug Calcitonin, which is also supposed to shrink tumors. But when Mommy's right hand needed surgery, God sent Debbie and Roslyn to give me my injections.

When I first started the injections of Calcitonin, I had unpleasant side-effects, like nausea, vomiting, dizziness, itching, etc. But now my body has adjusted to the drug and I'm beginning to feel much better most of the time. Lots of that Calcitonin drug has been donated, so that we could carry it back to Cambodia with us, packed in ice. I'll need to continue taking it for up to two years.

The last MRI, done a few days before we left Jacksonville, showed that the tumor was shrinking a little bit more, giving us hope that the injections are working. Now that we are back in Cambodia, we will continue doing periodic MRI scans and other tests to check on the progress of the treatment.

Because my muscles are still weak, I'll have to continue physical therapy for a long time until I'm strong again. Also, I need to be careful not to fall down and injure myself, especially not to hit my head. I'll be so happy when I can dance again and do other strenuous activities with my friends!

Even though I've suffered a lot through all of this, my Lord Jesus Christ has kept on saving my life again and again, as we all joined together in prayer. He has helped me to be brave. And He has given wisdom and skill to my doctors.

The Lord Jesus also gave Mommy a word that He had set the boundaries for the tumor and for the radiation just like He does for the waves of the sea—that they are allowed to go only so far and no farther. That is another way He has protected my eyes, ears, brain, glands, and nerves.

Considering all of the dangerous procedures that I've endured, it's amazing that nothing really important has been damaged in my body, except for my right eye, which was already blind before we left Cambodia. But anyway, we keep praying that God will restore that too, according to His will.

Sometimes I wonder why God chose to heal me little by little like this, instead of all at once. But I know that I have grown stronger in my faith during this long trial. I have also learned not to always expect instant relief from every problem. Struggling through difficulties side by side with my Lord Jesus, and also with my Mommy Gioia, has made me feel closer to both of them.

Probably another reason for this long journey was to give more opportunities for God to prove His faithfulness. For the past eight months, He has provided financial aid for all of my medical costs (and some for Mommy too) through Baptist Health in Jacksonville - probably well over a million dollars in all! Ronald McDonald House and many churches and individuals have helped with other needs, like lodging, food, clothing, telephone, Calcitonin, and transportation. Mommy and I are so grateful to all of you for being a part of this great miracle! And we continue to pray that God will richly bless you for your generosity.

Since I came to the United States on a medical visa, I was required to return to Cambodia after my treatment. But actually I was very anxious to return to CCAM, my home and my school. I want to finish my education and become a leader and teacher of the younger children there, as well as to serve God with them using my artistic gifts.

In America, many people were kind to me, taking me to interesting places and giving me lots of wonderful gifts, especially at Christmas, Easter and on my birthday, not to mention a Dreams Come True shopping spree and a trip to Disney World. So, even though I had to deal with a lot of difficult and painful experiences most of the time, I still got to enjoy some happy moments too, just being a kid and having fun.

At CCAM in Cambodia, all of us live a simple life of faith. We have whatever we need, and even some of the things we want. We have fun playing together, and we even receive special gifts at holidays. But our life is nothing like the lives of most American children, who have so much money, things, and opportunities for education and recreation.
But I think that, if I had stayed in America for a very long time, I might have become really spoiled. I might have forgotten about God calling me to help CCAM rescue other hopeless Cambodian children like I used to be. Now I am back here where I belong, studying for the future, enjoying my CCAM family, eating delicious Cambodian food, and feeling very comfortable in familiar surroundings.

However, I will never forget all of you who have become my new American family. I hope we will meet again someday. So please keep in touch with us at CCAM and continue helping us as God leads. Also, please continue to pray for all of us. But especially pray for me to be totally healed, so that I may serve my Lord Jesus Christ with my miracle life.

May God bless you all!
Buntheep Chun (13 years old)

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