Yi Swe is a 55-year-old woman who has been diagnosed with a cardiac condition, mitral valve stenosis. This means that a valve in her heart has narrowed and blocks blood flow.
Throughout her life, Yi Swe has lived in nine different cities and towns in Burma, and for the past three years she has lived the capital. She has worked for a government agency since 1981. She lives with her two sisters. Their monthly income is enough to cover their daily expenses, but they cannot afford expensive healthcare.
In 1990, Yi Swe noticed the symptoms of her cardiac condition for the first time. She grew tired easily and was sleeping poorly. She first sought care at a local clinic. The clinic gave her medication, which helped to improve her symptoms.
In December of the same year, Yi Swe’s condition grew more severe. She was very tired and had difficulty breathing. She visited a hospital in Rangoon, where she underwent blood and urine tests and an x-ray. The doctor drained fluid from her lungs and performed a mitral valvotomy to open the narrowed valve. The surgery greatly improved her condition.
For the next 25 years, Yi Swe’s condition was markedly better. However, in 2015, her original symptoms returned. She sought care at a local hospital. Over three visits, she underwent blood and urine tests, an x-ray, an echocardiogram, an electrocardiogram, and an ultrasound. She was advised to undergo a mitral valve replacement, and she was scheduled to receive surgery three years in the future, in 2019.
Yi Swe started to look for an alternative treatment option and was eventually referred to our medical partner. On December 19, 2016, she underwent a mitral valve replacement.
Throughout this whole process, Yi Swe has been working to pay for her treatments. Now, she needs help to fund this final $1,500 surgery.