Wai Ya Oo
Wai Ya Oo’s family first noticed his condition at birth. He was born at home in Kaw Ka Rate, Karen State, Burma, with a traditional birth attendant (TBA) and a midwife. There were no complications in the delivery, but when he was born they noticed a swelling around his nose area. His grandmother says that she was convinced the child would die as he was not normal. The child had no other symptoms other than trouble swallowing sometimes. His family did not go to the doctor in Burma as it was too far away for them to travel and they could not afford the cost of treatment in Burma. They had heard about Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) and knew that the clinic treats patients for free and so decided to come to Thailand. It took them 2 days to get to the Thai-Burma border and cost them 100,000 kyat (US$100) to get her as they also had to pay for a friend to make the journey with them as they did not know how to get here. Wai Y Oo’s family are farmers. They only grow enough food for the family to eat and had to borrow money to get to MTC.Wai Ya Oo’s grandmother says that their family is very sad for the child. They are worried that when he grows up he will not be normal and will not be able to play with his friends and do what other children do. They are worried the child will not be able to get treatment. His grandmother says she has had anxiety since the child was born worrying about him. They hope the child can grow up and be happy and go to school and play with other children.
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