Help for Heang (post motorbike accident)

Hi, my name is Adam and I’m raising funds to help support my friend and his family through a very difficult time after he suffered a motorbike accident.

The goal consists of:

1. Medical bills $6000

2. Ongoing treatment through recovery and rehab. $1000

2. Income support during rehab $2000

Total $6000.

There is a lot of need in the world right now, and after an unfortunate event last week, my dear friend Heng is very much in need of help.

Traveling home on his motorbike one evening, Heang was involved in a collision. The resulting injuries are a broken arm, a fractured hip, some relatively moderate head, injuries and dental damage.

Of course, we are all thankful that he survived the accident and he has now undergone surgery. Next stop dental repair work and then a lot of recovery and rehab.

For anyone who has spent time in Cambodia, or has Cambodian friends, they will understand that healthcare in Cambodia has improved a lot, but is still very expensive for those who need to use it. Heang is unfortunately uninsured after going out as a freelance Guide recently.

Added to the medical bills, will be the need for rehabilitation, and for Heang’s young family to sustain themselves for the coming 6 to 9 months recovery period.

Heng and his wife Sokna met while working at Grasshopper Adventures in Cambodia in the early days of the business. I first met Heang when he worked in our Bike Shop Cafe in Phnom Penh. I was immediately struck by his easy manner, his unassuming personality and a strong work ethic. He became interested in the bikes and trained alongside the shop mechanics in between taking orders and making coffees.

Heang became an excellent bike mechanic and teacher and he traveled all over Asia, training newly recruited, trainee mechanics. He dreamt of becoming a Tour Guide, a job that was reserved for those with a certain level of education that could be accepted into the licensing program. He started leading cycling tour groups provincially and would have a licensed guide alongside him at tourist sites. He became very popular as a tour leader and I was always so pleased to read our guest feedback surveys from his tours.

During COVID, Heang kept the company’s bikes in good working order to prepare for the recovery and then took on the task of re-stocking the parts and materials required to recommence operations. He was instrumental in getting the fleet back on the road when the time came.

Heang recently left the business that he had been a part of for the better part of 15 years and in doing so also left the safety net of the various employer-provided, insurance policies that would have helped in this situation. He decided to follow that dream, to go back to school and obtain the qualifications required to be a fully licensed, expert Tour Guide, to take people on tours through the Angkor archeological zone. He worked as a freelance cycling guide in between classes to sustain Sokna and their young daughter Thavey.

Heang is a determined and resilient guy. I have no doubt that he will regain his fitness and that he will succeed in his aim to become a licensed Tour Guide.

Maybe one way to look at this is to pre-buy a tour with Heang for you, a friend or a family member. In a couple of year’s time, you can visit Cambodia and enjoy a terrific tour through Angkor with an outstanding Guide. I know that this is how Heang would like to see it. Not that he is the subject of charity, but that he has taken an advance booking.

Note that the amounts in this campaign are in AUD because that is where I am located. Cambodia operates mainly on the USD. When I say that a day out with a private tour guide will set you back maybe $90, I mean $50USD. Again, the amounts in the estimate above are AUD amounts.

If you do donate, please keep track of the receipt/confirmation and you can collect on your tour or tour credit at a future date.