Por’s been in intensive care at Ramathibodhi Hospital for more than a month and during that time had to have his left foot amputated, but last week his condition was upgraded from “critical” and he’s looking forward to going home again.
It will be a while yet before he gets to do that. While’s he’s fully conscious now and communicating with relative ease with family and the doctors, his voice is in rough shape and the staff is carefully monitoring his kidneys, liver and pulmonary system.
Por’s uncle and manager, Sornmontree Pichaisornphlaeng, continues to update the press and says Por’s wife Vanda visits regularly and daughter Phakhwan (Mali) gets to see him occasionally, though the little girl can’t stay long since her dad needs his rest.
Everyone was worried about having to break the news to Por about losing his foot. They waited for what was considered the right time and had a psychologist standing by. That happened on Wednesday night, and Sornmontra says Por took it well, stayed calm and seemed neither shocked nor sorrowful.
The family was quite relieved that he handled the news better than they expected, says the uncle, and they’re now more assured than ever that Por is strong enough to get through this ordeal.
Funny gay guy gets serious
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IF YOU’RE one of the many fans of the TV travel show “Toey Tiew Thai”, producer Niti “Pompam” Chaichitatorn wants you to know that it might be a lot of fun to watch, but behind the camera it’s all hard work.
Pompam, who’s also one of the show’s openly gay hosts, tells A Day magazine there’s a lot of stress involved before they actually get out on the road, “especially when we have nothing in mind as to what we’re going to do”.
“Toey Tiew Thai” began as a bit of a lark on the Internet before GMM One Channel picked it up for broadcast. Much of the hilarity comes from the chatter among the three hosts and the way they describe the places they visit.
They’re all funny guys, but Pompam says it’s a common misconception among straight folks that all gays are tua talok (comedians). That’s just one more stereotype, he says. “We’re funny [talok], but we’re not comedians! So when we have a moment that’s not funny, you should understand and let me have that right,” he laughs.
As popular as the show is, they’re considering packing it in. “It’s so tiring and time-consuming and we’re getting older, so maybe it would be best to stop now while people still love us,” Pompam says.
He wants to get on with other things, too. He recently produced the gay-oriented “Toey Fair Festival Carnival Show” and is hosting the new TV show “Talk-ka-Toey Tonight” on GMM Channel 25. His ambition is to be Thailand’s Jerry Bruckheimer, the Hollywood producer behind “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Flashdance”. “He’s very talented. I dream of being credited something like ‘from the creator of Toey Tiew Thai’ – as a name that people will recognise and trust.”