Sok Yi has received written notification that she will be admitted as a patient to Shriners Childrens Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii, on March 11, 2024. She will be receiving 8 months of medical treatments to help correct her severe congenital scoliosis. This will include at least 8 weeks of Halo Traction, Spinal Fusion Surgery, Physical and Recreational Therapy. Dr. Jonathan Pellet, MD, specializing in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, is her doctor. Shriners Hospital is providing all medical treatments free of charge.
Mike Orbin has made arrangements to travel to Pursat Province, Cambodia, at the beginning of March, to escort Sok Yi and her sister, Sok An, who is Sok Yi's guardian/caretaker, to take them to Honolulu. As Sok Yi’s sponsor, Mike, along with Rotarians and friends through the successful Go-Fund-Me campaign, are providing the necessary financial and personal support, including covering all expenses for Sok Yi and her sister to come to the United States, and for their return trip to Cambodia, plus, expenses in the United States. Sok Yi and Sok An will reside at a residence building on the Shriners Honolulu campus, adjacent to the Hospital.
Sok Yi and her sister have applied to the US Embassy in Cambodia for medical visas and will be travelling to Phnom Penh for a scheduled interview with the US Embassy. Shiners Childrens Hospital and Mike have provided letters of support to the US Embassy for their visa approval.
Through Rotary’s Sustainable Cambodia contacts, Mike has been able to engage, Kanika Mak-Lavy, for her support. She has been living in Honolulu, working with the East-West Center for many years, which is near Shriners Childrens Hospital. Kanika is Cambodian, who left Cambodia with her family arriving in Florida, USA, in 1980. She grew up speaking Khmer, has been onsite at the Sustainable Cambodia schools (same school that Sok Yi attended -KBFC), and her family are SC supporters. Kanika is part of the senior staff team leading the EWC Education Program and serves as the program coordinator for several graduate student programs, in particular the EWC Foundation Scholarships program. She enthusiastically agreed to help Sok Yi and her sister while in Honolulu, and she has three graduate Cambodian students at the East-West Center who will also lend their support, doing periodic check-ins, purchasing of food and personal items that they may need, and helping connect them to a network of friends/helpers. Once Sok Yi and Sok An are admitted into Shriners, they will not be able to leave Shriners Hospital Campus until discharged.
Sok Yi is grateful to everyone that has and is supporting her, giving her an opportunity to live a more normal life and to help her reach her potential where she will be productive in her life's work and give back to her community!
Mike Orbin has made arrangements to travel to Pursat Province, Cambodia, at the beginning of March, to escort Sok Yi and her sister, Sok An, who is Sok Yi's guardian/caretaker, to take them to Honolulu. As Sok Yi’s sponsor, Mike, along with Rotarians and friends through the successful Go-Fund-Me campaign, are providing the necessary financial and personal support, including covering all expenses for Sok Yi and her sister to come to the United States, and for their return trip to Cambodia, plus, expenses in the United States. Sok Yi and Sok An will reside at a residence building on the Shriners Honolulu campus, adjacent to the Hospital.
Sok Yi and her sister have applied to the US Embassy in Cambodia for medical visas and will be travelling to Phnom Penh for a scheduled interview with the US Embassy. Shiners Childrens Hospital and Mike have provided letters of support to the US Embassy for their visa approval.
Through Rotary’s Sustainable Cambodia contacts, Mike has been able to engage, Kanika Mak-Lavy, for her support. She has been living in Honolulu, working with the East-West Center for many years, which is near Shriners Childrens Hospital. Kanika is Cambodian, who left Cambodia with her family arriving in Florida, USA, in 1980. She grew up speaking Khmer, has been onsite at the Sustainable Cambodia schools (same school that Sok Yi attended -KBFC), and her family are SC supporters. Kanika is part of the senior staff team leading the EWC Education Program and serves as the program coordinator for several graduate student programs, in particular the EWC Foundation Scholarships program. She enthusiastically agreed to help Sok Yi and her sister while in Honolulu, and she has three graduate Cambodian students at the East-West Center who will also lend their support, doing periodic check-ins, purchasing of food and personal items that they may need, and helping connect them to a network of friends/helpers. Once Sok Yi and Sok An are admitted into Shriners, they will not be able to leave Shriners Hospital Campus until discharged.
Sok Yi is grateful to everyone that has and is supporting her, giving her an opportunity to live a more normal life and to help her reach her potential where she will be productive in her life's work and give back to her community!
Here is picture of Mike with Sok Yi and Chenda, another student he sponsors at the KBFC school, during his visit in November.
