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NYEIN EI MON (EMO) - 12 Years Old

12 year old Nyein Ei Mon, or Emo as she is known is fully deserving of her mother’s defiant pride and love. She is Daw Thein Hla Haing’s tenth child and has an unsightly congenital growth on her nose. Despite this however she is an outgoing, confident energetic girl, laughing and interrupting her mum throughout the interview as any twelve year old would.

Behind the unsightly growth, Emo has a beautiful girlish smile and attractive brown eyes. She has bravely continued her schooling with good results in grade 2, despite the name calling and ridicule that she lives with constantly from the school yard.

Like many families who arrive at Mae Tao Clinic, Emo’s family has a sad history. Daw Thein Hla Haing’s 20 year old son, Emo’s brother, was killed by a snake bite while he was farming 8 years ago in Burma. There was no treatment available and he died an agonizing death within days. 3 years ago Daw Thein Hla Haing’s husband passed away from a gastro attack, leaving her a single mother, and she is struggling financially since his death. She cannot afford to send her other children to high school.

Six years ago an 8 hour journey to the nearest hospital in Burma proved fruitless when the doctors were unable to offer any kind of treatment. Now, 6 years later, Daw Thein Hla Haing has brought her daughter to Mae Tao Clinic, at the suggestion of her daughter who lives in Mae Sot. They traveled for 3 days in a friend’s car from Daw Gyi in Burma in the hope of some kind of treatment they could afford.

Mae Tao Clinic however is not equipped to remove the vascular growth from Emo’s face. Emo can be treated within the Thai medical system but this will cost far more than the family can afford as they are not Thai citizens, so are not entitled to treatment. Emo was referred to BCMF, who are currently seeking financial assistance to refer Emo to Mae Sot Hospital for assessment and referral to specialists in Chiang Mai.

Behind the beautiful smile and contrasting unsightly growth, Emo becomes thoughtful when I ask what removing the growth would mean to her. “It would make me beautiful’ she says shyly. Then, smiling once again, she adds ‘and I’ll be able to go to school and have friends like my sisters’.

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