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Young Ni Oo

Young Ni Oo is 16.  He is from Taung Gyi in Shan State, Burma.  He has a heart problem.  His official diagnosis is Tetralogy of Fallot, with Pulmonary Atresia and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries.  His mother noticed his health problem when he was born, although she was not aware that it was a heart problem at the time.  She noticed that he was sick often, he had a cough and difficulty breathing, and he was sweating a lot.  She brought him to their local clinic in Burma where the doctor did not know what was wrong with the child.  When the child was four years old he was diagnosed with a heart condition.  His mother took him to the doctors often to get medicine to alleviate his symptoms, but his condition did not improve.  When he was 12 years old a doctor told them that Young Ni Oo would need surgery to correct the problem.  Five months ago his mother took him to Rangoon Hospital for investigations.  She asked the doctor how much the surgery would cost, but he would not tell her, she thinks it was because he assumed she could not pay the bills – he was right.  

They left Rangoon with little hope for her son, when they returned home her brother in Mae Sot contacted them.  His son had been staying with the family while her brother worked in Thailand and they had not heard from him for a very long time.  He contacted them to send for his son, and he also told them about Mae Tao Clinic (MTC).  He said that the clinic might be able to help them for free.  They decided to make the journey to the Thai-Burma border to try and get Young Ni Oo treatment at MTC in Mae Sot, Thailand.  It took them three days to get to Mae Sot and cost 33,000 kyat (US$ 33) each.  

Young Ni Oo’s parents own a farm, and they grow vegetables for a living which they harvest twice a year.  It is very difficult for them to earn a living as the government has regulated the price of vegetables at a very low price and they barely make a profit from their produce.  It has been very difficult for them to cover their cost of living, including sending the children to school, and pay for Young Ni Oo’s medical bills.

Young Ni Oo says he feels very tired, he says that he is not sleeping well and has no energy.  It is hard for him to concentrate at school and he has had to miss a lot of classes.  He says he is different from all the other kids and cannot play with his friends as he has no energy.  He says he feels very sad and depressed about his condition.  He would like to play football but this is not possible for him, especially as his mother worries so much and is so protective and does not let him play at all.  Young Ni Oo says that he is interested in studying the environment.  However, he says that what he would really like to do is become a doctor when he is older so that he can help people like him who are ill.  He says that if he gets well he will put all his energy into getting an education so that he can become a doctor.

Young Ni Oo’s mother says that she hopes her son gets better so that he can be whatever he would like to be when he is older.  She says that if he wants to be a doctor she will support him to continue his education.  She says that she does not want him to have to work on the farm like her and her husband when he is older.  She hopes that he can get better so that he can have an opportunity at life.