Aye is an 18-year-old woman from a village in Burma who was born with ventricular septal defect (VSD). VSD is a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart.
Aye currently lives with her 50-year-old mother and her three nieces and nephews. She also has four siblings who send money back to the family to support their sister, mother, and their own children.
When Aye was two years old, she was diagnosed with her heart condition. Although surgery was recommended, Aye and her parents returned home as they knew they were unable to afford the cost of heart surgery. In 2016, Aye began coughing blood. Aye and her mother revisited a hospital, where they were again told that Aye required surgery.
Fortunately, Aye is scheduled to undergo VSD closure surgery on June 23 at our medical partner’s care center, Lampang Hospital. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to help fund the hospital stay, blood tests, and the surgery itself.
Aye hopes that after her surgery she can return to school. She would like to continue studying English and hopes to become a translator when she grows up.