Profiting from pants
Marianne Truex is selling exotic-printed trousers to help a 12-year-old girl
Selling exotic printed pants from Cambodia may seem like a random hobby to many people, but for junior Marianne Truex it holds a significant meaning and purpose.
Care — The Truexes commit to providing Cambodian native Leangkim Sua with medical care. Photo provided
In 2003, Marianne Truex and her family moved to Cambodia, where her family still performs humanitarian work.
After discovering the traumatic medical situation of a Cambodian 12-year-old girl named Leangkim Sua who came to her father seeking help, Marianne Truex decided that she needed to help by selling Cambodian-made pants in America and sending the money to Leangkim Sua’s family to support her medical costs.
Marianne Truex’s father (who will be referred to as “Truex’s father” or “her father” for security purposes) is a veterinarian who also helps with human medicine because the medical care is greatly lacking in Cambodia.
While visiting a village last year, word reached Truex’s father about a young girl who desperately needed medical attention.
Truex’s father met the young girl, Leangkim Sua, and immediately started seeking medical attention for her after discovering her condition. Leangkim Sua had a vascular tumor the size of a football bulging from her back.
Cambodia was quickly ruled out as a place to treat Leangkim Sua because of poor medical conditions, and the search for a hospital that would take on her case began.
“We sent her MRIs to South Korea, Vietnam and China,” Marianne Truex said. “My dad took her to Vietnam. We sent lab reports to children’s hospitals all across America.”
With no luck, the Truex family continued to search for a hospital that would treat Leangkim Sua.
“One day, we got a phone call saying there was a doctor in Cambodia going back to Denver who might be able to help,” Marianne Truex said. “My mom ran out to the airport and took Leangkim’s MRI. … The doctor looked at the MRI and decided the hospital in Denver could treat her.”
Photo credit: Haley Jones
This was the first positive response the Truex family received. In September, Leangkim Sua, her father Chentah Sua, and Truex’s father flew to Denver, Colorado. There, Leangkim Sua began her stay at the Swedish Medical Center.
Because the tumor was vascular, blood vessels had to be killed individually before the tumor could be removed. Dr. Wayne Yakes and Dr. Christopher Morin teamed up to do the surgeries. Yakes specializes in vascular malformations, and Morin has been trained specifically for vascular surgery, according to swedishhospital.com.
The main surgery has since been completed, but Leangkim Sua remains in the hospital.
“The hospital was able to do the surgery in October, but there have been major complications,” Marianne Truex said. “She’s been in the
hospital since (then).”
Leangkim Sua and her father hoped to go home in February, but they will stay in Denver because of the complications. They hope to return home to Cambodia in four to six months when all medical issues are resolved.
“Even though all the medical expenses are covered, which is amazing and a blessing from the Lord, there are still a lot of other expenses to be covered,” Marianne Truex said. “We have to provide funds for food, visa and travel.”
Due to extended time in America, Leangkim Sua and her father both need to extend their visas, which will cost a few thousand dollars. Because of the costs, Marianne Truex decided to help by selling pants.
“It’s really hard to be this far away from my parents, but being able to sell these pants makes me feel like I’m still … a part of the work that they’re doing,” Marianne Truex said. “Getting to be a part of Leangkim’s story is such an honor and a privilege.”
Marianne Truex said she continues to be amazed by Leangkim Sua’s perseverance.
“It’s a miracle,” Marianne Truex said. “We had to pay lots and lots of money to get her a visa and an appointment to come to America. You can just see God’s hand at work throughout the whole process.”
Pants are available from Marianne Truex for $25 a pair. One hundred percent of the funds go directly to Leangkim Sua’s expenses. To contact Truex, email mtruex@liberty.edu.
FRASER is a feature reporter.