Soth Rey, the 18-year-old young woman from Siem Reap who contracted a rare case of necrosis, a form of rapid cell degeneration, has died in the Sen Sok International University Hospital in Phnom Penh.
Rey, who fell ill in December after an unknown Siem Reap doctor pulled several of her teeth after a sinus infection, lost the majority of her right cheek and nose from the illness.
She was hospitalised in the capital for nearly a month after Yulia Khouri, a Phnom Penh resident, learned about her case and volunteered to cover the costs of her treatment. But Rey’s immune system was severely compromised, and she was battling a host of secondary illnesses, including pneumonia in her right lung.
“We confirm that Soth Rey died on March 25, 2017 in the morning at 6:30,” Dr Ivan Matela, one of the doctors caring for Rey, wrote in an email. “The cause of death was severe septicaemia and pneumonia.”
Khouri, who spent the last three weeks sitting by Rey’s bedside and raising funds for her treatment, wrote on her Facebook page that Rey’s body was transported to her family in Siem Reap by ambulance.
“She died with no pain, no suffering, surrounded by [the] love and care of her sister and medical staff at the hospital that all came to love her,” Khouri wrote.
