Brave AIDS Survivor Finds Solace Following Family Rejection

April 16, 2007

When 10-year-old Theara was diagnosed with AIDS it was just the first in a series of devastating blows. He then watched his mother and father die slow, painful deaths from the disease. Then came the cruelest cut of all — rejection by family members whom he had counted on to support him in his hour of need.

But the youngster did not despair. The courage and initiative he showed in his darkest hours, plus some unexpected help from World Vision, spurred an extraordinary turnaround.

Here, Theara’s story as told to World Vision …

When my parents were still alive, my brother Thearith, 7, and I were very happy. There were five members in my family -- my parents, my grandmother, my brother, and me. My parents took good care of us, fed us, bought us nice clothes, bathed us, and played with us.

My mother was a farmer, while my father worked as a taxi driver. My brother and I spent most of our time with mother. One day in early 2004 my mother felt sick, and we brought her to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed her as being HIV-positive. Then all of us, including my father and brother, decided to have our blood tested … and we all received the same result.

A few months later, my mother passed away.

Since then, my brother and I followed my father everywhere in his taxi. In just a couple of months, my father’s health began to deteriorate, and he could no longer drive. He then applied for work at a local car garage as a mechanic. It was very hard work for him. His health dropped dramatically, to the point where he could no longer leave his bed. We brought him to stay and be treated in the hospital.

My grandmother never came to visit us. She began to hate us, and said to me: “If your father is dying don’t ever bring him to die at my house, go die somewhere else.”

Rejected by Family

My brother and I stayed in the hospital with Father. We had no money to buy food. One day, as I walked to the food court, I met a sugar cane juice seller who felt sorry for me and gave me some juice. I brought the juice to my father and put a few drops in his mouth. A few days later, the doctor told me to get some medicine for him, but when I returned he had already passed away. It was just nine months after the death of my mother. I considered the year of 2004 to be the unluckiest year of my life.

After the death of my father, we could no longer stay in the garage. So my brother and I decided to come to my mother’s older sister’s house, hoping that she would accept us and let us stay. But when we arrived, she was not pleased with our presence. She did not allow her children to play or eat with us like before. She fed us leftover food even when she knew we were hungry. At night she made us sleep outside under the tree without mosquito nets. It was dark, and my brother and I were very frightened. My brother cried often, and Auntie chased us out of her house. We were skinny, dirty, and had itches all over our bodies. We were not allowed to use Auntie's water for baths.

One day in September 2005 as my brother and I walked passed a snack shop in our village, a merchant asked me if I had any relatives who could help my brother and me. At that moment, I recalled having another auntie in Ponlei village of Kompong Chnang province. Her name is Koy Oun. I remembered her telephone number clearly, as I used to open my father’s phone book when he was alive.

The merchant lent me her phone and dialed the number for me. As I heard my auntie's voice, I told her that my parents died due to AIDS. My brother and I had no food to eat and no place to stay. I told her that we were skinny and starving and asked her to come and pick us up. I was very weak at the time and tried to speak louder so she could hear me. Fortunately, my auntie recognized my voice and came to pick us up that same day.

Second Parents

Living with my auntie, my brother and I were well cared for. There were six members in her family -- her four children, her husband, and herself. As the breadwinner in the family, Auntie works very hard. However, the money she earned from vegetable sales at the market was not enough to feed the family. Even though she was poor and had four children to raise, she took good care of us as if we were her own children. She gave us baths and took us to have health checkups at the hospital regularly. I really love her. If I could make one wish and have it come true, I would wish to have lots of money to help improve Auntie's living conditions and offer some peace in her life.

In 2006, I was referred to the World Vision Community Care and Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children project. The project supported my brother and me with antiretroviral drugs and monthly food assistance, clothes, shoes, school supplies, house-wares, and piglets for Auntie and her family. The project registered me to attend Ponlei primary school. Now, I am in grade three. I am the first runner-up student in my class. In the future, I want to become a pilot. In my free time, I like to read books and color pictures. I participate in children’s club activities every month.

I consider World Vision and my auntie to be my second parents. I really appreciate their kindness and compassion for my brother and me. Without them, my brother and I would not have today.

I would like to request all the older people that are married with children to please don’t bring AIDS home. That way your children won’t become orphans like me and my brother. Being orphans like us is very difficult. We have no security and no comfort in our lives.

I would like to thank World Vision and my auntie for not discriminating against my brother and me and for offering their compassion and kindness to orphans like us.