Learkana Chong

Hello Community, I'm sharing an update on my mother's gravestone. My sibling Tary and I purchased it on August 10th for $1,293.97 including a $1.50 processing fee for using a debit card. We were fortunate to get a discount on it ($250 off). The gravestone will be 12" x 12" white marble. I initially sketched out a very crude draft on paper of what I envisioned the design to look like, to serve as a reference for the team at Ceres Memorial Park who would be working on the gravestone. They had a selection of fonts as well as stock images and symbols to choose from in a binder that I perused during our first appointment with the cemetery. My siblings and I wanted to include a couple of roses since my mother loved flowers and roses were her favorite. We also wanted to have my mother's name in Khmer script in the design as well. The cemetery said this could be done, they just needed a copy of the script spelling out what we wanted. I looked up several Khmer fonts and landed on one that felt suitable. After several iterations and rounds of feedback, we landed on the final draft that I approved on September 3rd. We decided to remove the "rest in peace" so the design would look less crowded, given that we don't have much surface area to work with. It is estimated to take up to 6 months for the gravestone to be done so we are unlikely to have it in time for the 100 day ceremony or the burial; however, taking our time on getting the design right felt important. (Please note the splotches in the final draft design attached here are from the Xeroxing and will not show up in the actual gravestone design). Adding the gravestone cost to the last total shared in my previous update ($10,125.90 for funeral home expenses, brochures, and burial plot), we have now spent $11,419.87 of the $12,002.87 raised ($12,400 total minus $397.13 in GoFundMe transaction fees). Thank you again for your generous support. Because of everyone's contributions, my family has been alleviated of the financial burden that comes with putting a loved one to rest, and we are immensely grateful. -Learkana, on behalf of the Chong/Chhuoy family

My name is Learkana, I was born and raised in Modesto, CA by my beloved mother, May Chhuoy. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in the summer of 2024. For the next two years, she went through multiple chemo and radiation treatments in an attempt to stop the spread of the cancer, but unfortunately none of the treatments worked. She passed away in her home with loved ones at the age of 71 on Wednesday, July 15th, 2026. It was very painful to watch my mother suffer immensely at the end of her life, so there is some small measure of comfort and relief for my three siblings and I to know that she can now be at peace. My mother was a strong, fiercely independent woman who survived tremendous tragedy in her life. She survived the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s and came to America as a refugee seeking safety and stability. She married my father, Soeung Chong, another survivor of the Cambodian genocide, and together they had 4 children and settled in the Central Valley. My father tragically passed from liver cancer when we were very young, which left my mother with no choice but to raise us alone while navigating the challenge of not being able to work or understand English. Her beloved sister and close confidante, Lang Yim, passed away from breast cancer a short while after. In spite of these devastating events, my mother did her best to support and love her children, and set a strong foundation for us to become who we are today. My mother was a deeply caring person who was honest, genuine, and always looking out for others. She loved gardening and spending time with her family. She was a lifelong devoted Buddhist and often attended ceremonies at our local Khmer Buddhist temple back when she was in good health. In honor of our mother's wishes, my siblings and I would like to be able to make arrangements for her funeral and burial in ways that respect her and our family's cultural heritage and traditions. This is estimated to cost upwards of $10,000, which would include compensation for local Buddhist monks to attend and lead chants, a 7 day ceremony, a post-funeral ceremony, as well as a 100 day ceremony to follow several months after the funeral service. Any amount you can contribute to ensure that our mother can be properly and respectfully transitioned into the ancestral realm would be deeply appreciated.