It caused great concern for the parents when their beloved daughter suddenly fell ill abroad and had to be admitted to hospital. This incident happened in the family of Senaling Somkiat Chanpraprom. . Mod Araya Senaling’s wife shared the story, Nong Nokyoong, their 16-year-old daughter who had just gone to study in China, suddenly became ill and had to be taken to hospital. This shocked her parents deeply, making them want to fly to see her immediately. They admitted they were very worried about their daughter living alone abroad and had never experienced her being seriously ill enough to be admitted before.
Recently, we had the chance to meet Senaling at a blessing ceremony for three TV dramas at the Brahma Shrine, Thai PBS, Viphawadi Rangsit Road. He gave an interview about his daughter’s illness, influenza A, and her hospital admission in China.
How is Nong Nokyoong’s condition now?
She has been discharged from the hospital and is now staying at the host family’s home. We keep in touch by phone to ask how she is. Her mother asked if she felt upset that her parents didn’t come. She said she was indifferent — it was okay if they came, but it wasn’t necessary, because even if they did, they couldn’t do much and it was up to the doctors. (smiles)
How is her mental state?
She’s doing well, though at first she was a bit worried because she couldn’t manage everything herself due to language barriers between Chinese and English.
Many people were shocked to hear she was hospitalized?
Not just others, even we parents were shocked. I told my wife to fly over immediately because we didn’t know how serious it was, only seeing pictures and talking. Luckily, now we have video calls, which we didn’t have before, so it’s easier to imagine. Our daughter called that morning — the night before, we stayed up late until about 4 a.m., then at 8 a.m. she called, talking to her mother first, telling her not to worry. She said she fainted, was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and was waiting for a doctor, but it was a long wait.
What illness does she have?
It’s flu A — influenza A virus. Once infected, it spreads quickly.
How long has she been in China?
About 3-4 months now; she plans to stay for about a year.
Is she still receiving treatment?
Yes, ongoing treatment. The care there is good because they specialize in such illnesses. For example, after the flu clears, they monitor for pneumonia. After a month, they will check how her lungs are doing.
Will she be in treatment for long?
About 5-6 days. We keep in constant contact; she calls as soon as she wakes. If her mother doesn’t answer, she calls me. We stand by so she feels her parents are close. If we couldn’t contact her, she might get stressed, so this reassures her that if anything happens within 5-6 hours, one of us will be there.
Now that she is alone, do you think she can manage?
Since Nong Nokyoong is an athlete, she manages well. She often attends camps—from Alex Rendell’s camps, forest camps, to animal camps, where she even assisted with animal surgery and stayed overnight with friends. So I believe she can take care of herself, but the distance is tough. Taking care of herself isn’t the issue; it’s that she got sick that worries us.
Did you consider having her return to Thailand?
No, she told us not to come. Even if we came, we couldn’t do much beyond what the doctors do. We leave it to the doctors, but naturally, we worry and want to fly over.
Is this the first time she’s been this seriously ill?
She has never been hospitalized or stayed overnight before. As a child, she only had minor colds treated with nasal sprays and natural remedies like inhaling steamed onion vapor and sponge baths to reduce fever. But now she is alone and has to care for herself. Even in the hospital, no one helps with sponge baths—she must do everything herself. As she improved and wanted food other than hospital meals, she had to order and collect it herself before eating—quite a struggle. (smiles)
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