Ei Ei was born in Karen State, Burma. She has congenital disabilities including a small meningocele on her lower back which has caused nerve damage that had resulted in her feet being clubbed. On her right hand, she has two missing finger and one deformed, her thumb and little finger are present. Ei Ei has a large family with five siblings. Her family crossed the border into Thailand in 2010 as there was conflict in their area. The UN is yet to assess their refugee claim thou... Read more ►

Nan Yu is a twelve-year-old girl with cardiac disease who first came to BCMF in May 2012. When she was nine years old, she contracted Dengue Fever and went to Yangon Hospital for treatment.  While there, doctors also diagnosed Nan Yu with cardiac disease.  She continued to go to Yangon Hospital for follow-up appointments and was given medication to help manage her symptoms, but doctors said that without surgery her health would continue to deteriorate. When her family could... Read more ►

La is an 8-year-old boy suffering from a blood condition. Specifically his blood has a low platelet count (he could be suffering from a condition known as thalassaemia). He is currently in Chiang Mai undergoing treatment. He and his father were transferred directly from a small district hospital on the Thai-Burma border to Chiang Mai. The hospital contacted BCMF to refer La onto our program to ensure his medical costs were covered. (more…) ... Read more ►

Yin Yin is 8 years old and has been hearing impaired from birth – until recently, she’s never been able to hear or speak. She lives with her family on the Thai-side of the Thai-Burma border. Here is her story… Family background: In 1995 Yin Yin’s parents lost their first child to malaria. In 1997 there was conflict in the area where Yin Yin’s family were living and they were displaced for about three years. They moved from place to place and didn’t have a safe pla... Read more ►

Treatment: Chit Snow is a young woman who suffered from rheumatic heart disease. She went to Chiang Mai twice for treatment. The first trip was for investigation and the second was for heart surgery. She received a valve replacement on 25 January 2012 and stayed in the hospital for six days. Everything went well. Before the surgery, Chit Snow was very tired. She couldn’t do anything and her mother and everyone she knew were certain that she would die. Her family spent ... Read more ►

FAMILY AND MEDICAL BACKGROUND: When Than Zin was born she had a small, fluid-filled sack on the back of her head (meningocele). She was born at a hospital so the doctor told her parents to take her to Rangoon Hospital. Than Zin’s parents were not able to travel to Rangoon because they did not have the money for surgery. Both of her parents work at a rubber plantation and e... Read more ►

Shin Aw Ba Tha is a novice monk. He entered a monastery in Burma when he was 12 years old. Soon after, he began coughing up blood and became short of breath. He was diagnosed a serious heart condition and also informed that he had contracted tuberculosis. He was able to receive 6 months of treatment for the communicable infection in his home district but was informed that the only way to correct his heart condition was to go to a hospital in Rangoon. Shin Aw Ba Tha’s family... Read more ►

Si Thu is a 14-year-old boy from Mon State, Burma. His extended family have recently bought him across the Thai-Burma border into Thailand for treatment. Si Thu’s parents are farmers; in wet season they grow rice and the rest of the year they grow beans. Most of their rice produce is for the consumption of the family of three as well as their extended family. Si Thu’s mother explains that in the cold season their extended family, all living in the same farm compound, ligh... Read more ►