Pai Zin Linn Htet
Pai Zin Linn Htet is 5 years old and he has a kidney problem. He has a younger brother aged 3, and his parents,
U Nay Linn Aung, 29, and Daw Zin Phyo II Win, 27, live in Myawaddy. They moved there 8 years ago from deep inside Burma to find work. Pai Zin Linn Htet’s father works in construction; he loads materials on to a truck and moves them from one place to another. However, he has not been able to find work recently and he has had to go to Bangkok. He has found work there cleaning dishes in a restaurant. He earns 200 Baht/day, however, this is dependant on how busy the restaurant and how many dishes he washes. He has not been able to send any money to the family yet. Pai Zin Linn Htet does not go to school. His mother says that she tried to send her child to school but the family could not get the money together to send him. On the night of the 14th of January Pai Zin Linn Htet complained to his mother that he had a headache and could not sleep. He then lost his vision and had a fit. His mother took him to Myawaddy Hospital where they kept him in for four days. They did an ultrasound and an ECG there. The doctor at the hospital told his mother that her son had kidney problems and that she would have to take him to Rangoon and pay a lot of money to get him treated. His mother decided to try Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) instead. She had heard about MTC from her friend, who told her MTC would treat her son for free. They could not afford the healthcare in Burma and so decided to come across the border. To come across they needed to register at the bridge-crossing and pay 2000 Kyat.
When he came to MTC, Pai Zin Linn Htet was referred to Mae Sot Hospital, where they gave him some medication. He is now starting to feel better, but gets dizzy spells and headaches when he is tired. When asked what her biggest problems are at the moment, Daw Zin Phyo II Win says money and stress. Also, she has to leave her younger child with his grandmother. She says that MTC is their last hope and she only desires that her child get better. His mother says that Pai Zin Linn Htet tells her he wants to be an engineer when he is older. She says that the family will do all they can to get him an education so that he can fulfill his dream if he gets better. Pai Zin Linn Htet has been lying on the matt on the floor as we interview his mother looking at a book he surely can’t read. He lights up when asked what he would like to be when he is older and confirms that he would like be and engineer. When asked what he would like to do when he is better, he smiles sheepishly and says he would love to go to school so that he can learn to read and write.