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MI SU 7 Years Old (Post Surgery)

Pre-surgery	Post-surgery

The change in Mi Su over the past year is clear to see. She is now 7 years old, but is looking forward to celebrating her 8th birthday in August of this year (2007). Mi Soe was born with a small abscess at the base of her spine and as she grew older the abscess grew in size until it was making it almost impossible for Mi Soe to walk and sit. When she arrived at Mae Tao Clinic with her mother, looking for help, she was referred to Mae Sot Hospital, and subsequently to Chiang Mai Hospital. The family do not have the money to pay for her treatment and fortunately she was sponsored by ‘Operation Smile’ who generously paid for her treatment.

After the abscess was removed however, Mi Su, continued to experience complications and her mother told us that she had made 9 visits to Chiang Mai Hospital, for varying lengths of time. However, now Mi Su is well enough to return to her family, and when I asked if she was looking forward to seeing her brother and sister again, she nodded, grinning.

 Mi Su has one brother and one sister, who have been living with their aunt and their father in Myawaddy while Mi Su and her mother have been in Chiang Mai. Ma Po last saw her husband and two other children on the 22nd April 2007, but she has been separated from them for much longer periods of time over the past year. She is looking forward to being back with her family.

Mi Su is still having incontinence problems. Her mother uses a catheter to drain the urine from her bladder several times a day, because she has no bladder control and often leeks urine and other children make fun of her because of the smell. She has been told that if the problem persists or gets worse, she should return in a year. However, for the moment, she is just happy to be going home.

The surgery has had a noticeable impact on Mi Su. She is much more outgoing and confident, smiling and laughing, greeting me as she came in. Her mother smiles throughout the interview, holding her daughters hand and stroking her hair proudly. Ma Po told me that she hopes Mi Su will now be able to go to school and get an education. When asked how she felt, Mi Su said she was very happy. She wants to go home and play with other children and see her brother and sister.

Ma Po told me that she wanted to thank the person who donated the money for her daughter’s treatment. “In Burma, we cannot do anything. There was no way to get treatment. When we came to Mae Tao and were referred to Chiang Mai, I could see Mi Su getting better. When Mi Su is happy, I am happy.”

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