Baby Ah Neath was born in Cambodia. Last February, Ah was born in the joyful anticipation of her parents – Mr. Heang and sister Srey. However, the joy of meeting her child after 9 months and 10 days of heavy weight suddenly disappeared when they saw that the child was not normal like many other children. In the excruciating pain of parents, doctors immediately performed an examination and concluded that Ah had flat encephalopathy.

This is a birth defect that prevents parts of the brain such as the scalp and skull from forming properly. The defect usually appears during the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It occurs when the neural tube does not close properly. As a result, babies with flat encephalopathy are often born without a part of the skull and brain, resulting in the baby being blind or deaf.

About 5,000 babies are born with this defect each year. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this disability cannot be cured and children usually die within a few weeks.

Ah was born in a remote place in Tbong Khmum province, 167km northeast of the capital Phnom Penh. Her family is very poor and has no money to treat her child, they are afraid that their child will die without immediate medical intervention. Sister Srey shared: “I cried for many days and had to ask for everyone’s support and donations. We were very poor, had to sell our house and land to try to save our son’s life. I’m healthy, but my head doesn’t have a skull. We face difficulties and try to save the child. The only hope is that the doctors here will try to treat you.”

It is known that Ah’s limbs move well, only a large defect on the head and the back of the head is very large. When she was born, Ah had to stay in the hospital, had to use a ventilator, but now, Ah has been discharged home to live with her family.