Daw Mya is a 59-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her daughter, granddaughter, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Yangon, Burma. Daw Mya is currently too ill to work, but her daughter works as a seamstress in a factory. Her granddaughter goes to school, her son is a taxi driver, her daughter-in-law looks after their son at home. Her daughter and her son both help look after Daw Mya and try to support her as best they can.
Daw Mya was diagnosed with a heart condition that involves a malformation of the mitral valve, the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. This valve controls the flow of blood, but certain conditions may cause blood to flow backward or the valve to narrow. Currently, Daw Mya feels tired and experiences heart palpitations with chest pain. She has no appetite and cannot sleep well at night, and both of her legs are swollen.
Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Daw Mya. The treatment is scheduled to take place on February 21st and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably.
Daw Mya said, “I want to get better soon so that I can help my family. I want to help them because my daughter-in-law is always looking after me and her child [my grandson], so she cannot work. If I can look after the household chores and take care of the family, they can go to work and earn more income for our family. I cannot go anywhere because of my condition. They always take care of me and they spend too much of their money on me.”