At the Red Cross camp in Thailand, Pran was able to contact his old friend whom he spent years working with, Sydney Schanberg. For years, Schanberg had unsucessfully attempted to locate Pran, though he did keep in close ocntact with Pran's family who was living in America. Soon after finding out about Dith's wherabouts, Schanberg was reunited with the survivor. His family also gained back their beloved husband and father. Upon arriving in America, Pran was given a job as a photographer by the New York Times.

With his newfound freedom and resources, Pran devoted his life to helping others affected by the Khmer Rouge. He and his wife began the Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project, and tried to help Cambodians locate loved ones who became separated from them during the Khmer Rouge takeover. In 1984, a movie titled The Killing Fields was produced, and it chronicled the Cambodian genocide and in particular Dith Pran's valient effort to survive and share his story with the world. He also published a book titled Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors which brought to light the real attrocities of the Khmer Rouge using accounts from Cambodians who suffered through them.

Unfortunately, in 2008, Dith Pran died due to complications with his recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer. The unbelievable story and incredible dedication of Dith Pran to bring light to the Cambodian genocide will continue to live on.

After pretending to be their taxi driver but in reality assisting Schanberg and the reporters for over two years, Pran was separated from his friends when Americans were allowed to leave the country but Pran was not. Dith wisely rid himself of all signs of connection to the Western world, though he was forced to work in a Khmer Rouge labor camp as a part of the group's effort to return the country to a strictly agrarian society. Pran was subject to horrid conditions and witnessed countless deaths, doing everything that he could to survive.

During one day of work, Pran was able to slip away from his camp, and as he traveled, he stumbled upon thousands of rotting corpses belonging to Cambodians beleived to be too educated or Westernized. Pran is soon found by the Khmer Rouge, and is taken to a similar prison camp, where he earns the trust of the camps leader to care for his son. Pran witnessed an intense battle between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese, but survives the ordeal. With a few other survivors, Pran was then able to escape through the forest and mountains, once again seeing more death. After countlesss traumatic experiences, and a remarkably long journey on foot, Pran reached a Red Cross camp at the Thai border, marking the end of his struggle to survive.

After the United States' withdrawal from both Cambodia and Vietnam, the country quickly fell to a communist group known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge wanted to rid the country of any Western influence, as well as purge the population of more educated and civilized people. During the Khmer Rouge's attempt to drive many people out of Phnom Penh, Dith was able to help his wife and children escape with the assistance of the U.S. However, Pran bravely opted to stay in Cambodia so as to help the reporters let the world know about the attrocities that were being committed in Cambodia, illustrating his true dedication to the cause. By staying in the hostile environment of Cambodia, Pran likely saved the lives of the reporters with his ability to communicate to the Khmer Rouge.

Dith Pran began his life on September 27, 1942, in the city of Siem Reap, often referred to as the "Gateway to Angkor." As a child, Pran attended school and learned French, though he went on to learn English on his own. Due to his linguistic abilities, the U.S. Military Assistance Command in Cambodia hired him as a translator. However, when Cambodia cut off diplomatic ties with the U.S., Pran was out of a job, and ended up acting as a guide and interpreter for New York Times reporters, among them Sydney Schanberg, with whom he became very close.