Posted: 07/27/2010
LONG BEACH - Residents interested in seeing Socheat Nha, the Cambodian girl who underwent successful heart surgery thanks to a local nonprofit, will have one last chance at a fundraising dinner.
Socheat and her father, Phin Ken, will be feted Aug. 7 at Sophy's Restaurant, 3240 Pacific Coast Highway, from 6-10 p.m. The cost of the dinner is $30 for adults, $20 for students and $10 for children.
The 3-year-old daughter of a Cambodian farmer, Socheat was brought to the U.S. by Long Beach nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries for surgery not readily available in her home country.
Las Vegas Children's Hospital, which had agreed to perform the procedure, backed out when it appeared too risky. However, Hearts Without Boundaries was able to broker a deal with the International Children's Heart Foundation, which performed the surgery in the Dominican Republic.
Dr. Rodrigo Soto performed a tricky four-hour procedure to close a hole in Socheat's heart, called a ventricular septal defect, and repaired part of a damaged artery.
Socheat is the third patient Hearts Without Boundaries has helped receive surgery. The others, 11-year-old Davik Teng and 1-year-old Soksamnang Vy, both underwent successful surgeries and returned to Cambodia. Davik is back in the U.S. for a visit.
A fourth patient, Bunlak Song, is scheduled to come to Long Beach later this year.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com,
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