The Courageous heroine who inspired

She was a survivor…

Simora was born in the bustling city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the summer of 1944. She came from an aristocratic family and was always the playful but stubborn one of all her siblings. As she grew older, she met the man of her dreams and gave him 6 beautiful children; 3 boys and 3 girls. They lived happily for a short while.

In 1975, the ever growing Khmer Rouge militia overthrew the government. Their ambitions were to execute the wealthy and educated in order to preserve traditional customs and isolate Cambodia from Western thought or ideas.

In the early stages before fully taking Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge were capturing citizens little by little and placing them in work camps without informing family members. Simora had learned that her nephew Bunnarath had been taken to camp outside of the city. Stubborn and determined to bring back her nephew, Simora left her home, fighting family members who were pleading for her to stay.

Simora went to the camps and miraculously negotiated with the leader of the camp to release him. Upon returning, she found her home completely abandoned by all members of her family but with a large ditch dug out back. Her husband and sons and some family members were killed at their home while some were able to flee.

Devastated, heartbroken, and in complete disbelief, she persevered with her nephews hand in hers to find her daughters. She found some neighbors but they came with more haunting news of the deaths of her daughters. Simora fell to the ground, as she told me, not wanting to ever get up but she had to care for her nephew that she just saved. Eventually they were captured by the Khmer Rouge and pretended to be sugar cane juicers. The next 4 1/2 years was horrific.

Eventually, Simora found the courage to escape with a few others. They made the trip to the Thai border in a week and found themselves safer in a refugee camp. Simora went back a couple of times, having learned of different hiding areas, and brought back more people while risking her own life.

While in the camps, Simora met a young former soldier of the old regime. She fed and helped him and a couple of years later would help him again. He was one of the individuals she helped escape the work camps. He would become her husband in the refugee camps and they were sponsored by the Seven Day Adventist Church to come to America.

In America, Simora worked tirelessly, while raising her children, to put her husband through school and eventually graduating with a Masters degree. His true nature started to show years prior to graduation; he became emotionally and physically abusive and frequently unfaithful. After the birth of their 3rd child, he left for California with his mistress and a career. Simora struggled to make ends meet while caring for her 3 daughters, all under age 4 and her teenage nephews.

Soon after arriving in California, her husband’s family shamed him into reuniting the family. Struggling and alone, Simora, agreed to move to California where she had friends and some support. Things did not turn for the better. Simora found herself in black and blue and eventually, her husband moved in with another mistress. They finally divorced but her, now, ex husband still remained abusive towards her and the girls. The only money they had was government assistance because her husband threatened violence if Simora filed for child-support. They lived in a small roach ridden shack but the daughters were happy to be free of their father and just with Simora. Fear would strike when their father came to visit, and after an extremely violent incident, Simora finally found a way to escape with her daughters. They moved and kept their address hidden from everyone for a while. At that time, the girls were old enough to care for themselves, so Simora went back to work. While she didn’t make much from work, Simora, with the help of friends from the Buddhist community, found an alternative and was able to regain independence of her and her daughters’ lives and heal their wounds.

Her husband eventually found them but this time, Simora fought back. While she didn’t win the fight, she won her independence and found her voice. Simora was still shamed and made to feel guilty by his family for keeping the girls from him so she let him remain in their lives. She taught her daughters how to be strong and independent. She gave the girls unparallel and unconditional love and even through trauma and atrocities, showed them a world full of trust, hope and beauty. She maintained a hope in humanity, a hope that her daughters all inherited from her and carried with them throughout their lives.

Simora still maintains a world of hope and everyday gives back, the little that she has, to the community through charity, volunteerism and showing the world that anyone can overcome any tribulations. She is our heroine.