Sharing Foundation: About

Srey Mom Finds a Home, Family after Long Ordeal
(as of December, 2000)

Srey Mom sites in the arms of Dr. Daniel Ryan, the Massachusetts GEneral pediatric surgeon who gave her a future.

More than a year ago, Srey Mom was in the back room of an orphanage, struggling through life with serious medical problems and a short future. Now, this precocious little 2-year-old has a new lease on life, and a family in the U.S.

Last fall the Sharing Foundation's directors and Parents Advisory Council voted unanimously to support bringing Srey Mom to Boston and doing whatever had to be done to give this child a future. Medical colleagues of Dr. Nancy W. Hendrie agreed to provide free care, including multiple surgeries, at Massachusetts General Hospital, which also provided free care.

She arrived in the U.S. on April 3, and has been through the operating room doors six times, spending more than three months cumulatively at MGH. Between surgeries, the Stokes/Luoma family of Carlisle, Mass., provided incredible foster care for Srey Mom. This care involved many medical trips, arduous work and early intervention, teaching Mom to eat, and providing the daily love and care any child needs.

Mom has gone from less than 10 pounds on her arrival to a robust 17 pounds. She has learned to crawl, to pull herself to her feet, to eat solid foods and pointedly demand her favorite toys. She'd never had any before April.

In August, the Boston Globe's leading columnist, Eileen McNamara, wrote a poignant piece about Srey Mom, and more than 30 families inquired about adopting Mom. A Maine couple, Mark and Susan, were selected. After many visits, their dossier was completed, they have their U.S. approvals, and Mom went home to live with her new family on Thanksgiving weekend.

The family, and Mom, must still travel to Cambodia when her documents have that government's approval, but in truth, Srey Mom has her family, and they have her.

Sometimes it's the little victories that count the most, and The Sharing Foundation Parent Advisory Council and directors are sharing a tremendous feeling of satisfaction for a job well done and a real future provided.