Mi Aye
Mi Aye is 17 years old, she is from Mae Taw, No Bo in Burma. Her family’s income is 800 baht (US$20) a month, this is to cover the living costs of 7 people. They are currently living in a refugee camp, but they are not registered and as such have no official status there. Mi Aye says her mother told her she first noticed her health problem when she was three years old. At that time her mother brought her to the Mae La refugee camp clinic. They went there several times and finally an organization in Mae La camp sent her to Chiang Mai Hospital and supported her treatment there. She had an operation to insert a pacemaker at Chiang Mai Hospital on 7th July, 2004. At that time Mi Aye was 11 years old. Mi Aye has three siblings, they are 15, 8 and 1, and they are all girls. Only one of the children goes to school as Mi Aye’s parents cannot support all of them to go to school. Her father works on a farm for a living, he earns 80 baht per day, but does not get work every day (on average 10 days/month). Her mother looks after the other children at home.
Mi Aye says now she feels well, but she is worried about her condition. After her operation she was told by doctors in Chiang Mai that after 5 years they would need to check her heart again. She went back to the camp clinic, who sent her to Mae Sot Hospital. The doctor there told her she needed to return to Chiang Mai Hospital to ensure all was going well with the pacemake. However, she had no further support to get her to Chiang Mai Hospital, and she the security situation is too difficult for her to go herself. She needs the support of the Burma Children Medical Fund so that her condition can be properly assessed.
Mi Aye is currently attending a Thai school and her auntie covers the cost. She is in middle school and hopes she can have her health checked as soon as possible so that she can continue going to school uninterrupted. She wants to get a good education as she hopes to be a doctor in the future. Mi Aye also says her illness is very stressful for her family as they do not have the funds to pay for their child’s surgery.
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