Burma Children Medical Fund

Thailand

Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital

Patients at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital

La Min is a 21-year-old young woman from Burma. She lives with her aunt in Bangkok, Thailand. She moved to Bangkok from her village in Karen State, Burma, in 2023 in search of better job opportunities. She worked as a waitress, but had to stop because of her health. La Min has a heart condition that requires replacement of two heart valves -the aortic and mitral valves - and repair of the tricuspid valve. These valves control the blood flow between the chambers of the heart and are necessary to prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Currently, La Min experiences fatigue and a rapid heartbeat while walking even short distances, poor appetite, and chest pain. Even though she has lived with her condition almost all her life, she still experiences anxiety and stress during her episodes. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for this complex surgery. The treatment is scheduled to take place on April 10th and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and have a more active and healthy life ahead. In the future, La Min hopes to continue to work in Bangkok and save enough money to return to her village in Burma. There she dreams of opening a restaurant and selling Thai food. She said, “When I lie down at night, I hear my rapid heartbeat and have trouble falling asleep. When I am very tired and experience heart palpitations, I worry that my heartbeat will stop suddenly. I want to know what the world is like without my heart disease.”

$960raised
$540to go

De Wai is a 55-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law. All of the family members are agricultural day laborers, since their lands were destroyed by a military air strike in February 2026. However, De Wai stopped working in November 2025 due to his heart condition. They do not receive an income from their labor, but the owner of the farm provides them with rice. For their daily expenses, they have borrowed money from the village head—a debt they will have to repay with interest. In his free time, De Wai does household chores. De Wai has been diagnosed with a heart condition that requires valve replacement. Heart valves control the flow of blood between chambers, but certain conditions may narrow the heart valve or cause the blood to flow backwards. Normal valve function is necessary to prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Currently, De Wai feels a little better since he has received medication from a doctor. However, he still experiences fatigue when he is active and walking, a loss of appetite, and sometimes he cannot sleep at night due to palpitations and chest pain. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to support a heart valve replacement for De Wai. The treatment is scheduled to take place on June 29th at our medical partner's care center, Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital. Once completed, De Wail should be able to live more comfortably and begin again to contribute to his family's future. De Wai said, “I cannot work since November as I get tired easily, and I feel depressed and unhappy for my family as they have to face financial difficulties, and I have to suffer from these diseases. While I am undergoing treatment, I feel worried about my family who are in the village. I hope to recover soon, and I want to go back and help my family.”

$1,379raised
$121to go

Ye Min is a 19-year-old young man from Burma. He lives with his parents, younger brother, and a younger sister. His father is unemployed due to a previous accident. His mother works as an agricultural day laborer, while his brother looks after their neighbor’s cows, and his sister helps with household chores. Ye Min is unemployed. Their family’s combined monthly income is not enough to cover their daily expenses, and with Ye Min’s medical condition, the family is now indebted to neighbours and friends for loans they've received to help them finance medical and living expenses. Ye Min was diagnosed with a heart condition that requires valve replacement. Heart valves control the flow of blood between chambers, but certain conditions may narrow the heart valve or cause the blood to flow backwards. Normal valve function is necessary to prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Currently, Ye Min experiences significant limitations in his energy and physical capacity. He often has to rest after walking for not more than five minutes. His condition has prevented him from working, and he feels stressed about his health. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to help fund a heart valve replacement for Ye Min. The treatment is scheduled to take place on June 27th at our medical partner's care center, Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital. Once completed, Ye Min will hopefully live more comfortably. Ye Min said, “Without surgery, I will not live longer, and now I cannot walk far or work due to my fatigue, which makes me sad.” His mother said, “I leave my son’s life in your hands. I believe that he would have died in Burma if we had not come here to receive surgery with the help of your organization. When I came here, I felt like half of my burden had been lifted when I saw that your staff were kind and caring. I would like to thank you very much ahead of time for being willing to help us.”

$893raised
$607to go

Ester is a 13-year-old student from Burma. She lives with her parents, her younger brother, and two younger sisters in a village in Karen State, Burma. Ester and her three younger siblings go to school while their parents are small-scale farmers. They also raise chickens and pigs, and they forage for vegetables in the forest for their own consumption. They also have a small garden where they grow betel nut trees, and they sell some of the betel nuts to earn a small income. Sometimes, Ester’s father also finds work as an agricultural day laborer. In her free time, Ester loves to help her mother with household chores and also play with her friends at school. She wants to become a teacher when she grows up. Ester was born with an atrial septal defect (ASD), a condition in which a hole exists between the two upper chambers of the heart. Sometimes ASDs may close on their own during development, but sometimes this condition requires surgery to repair the hole and prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Ester is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 7th to correct her condition and improve her quality of life. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to help cover the cost of Ester's procedure and care. Ester's mother shared, "I would like to thank BCMF and your donors for your kindness and willingness to support my daughter. Without you, my daughter would not receive treatment as the cost is too high for us, and we cannot borrow such a large amount of money from our neighbours. On behalf of our family and our daughter, thank you to your donors and everyone willing to help my daughter.”

$802raised
$698to go

Htay is a 44-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband, her daughter, and her son in Myawaddy Township, Karen State, Burma. Her husband is unable to walk and is unemployed due to an injury. Their daughter works part time at the registration department in Myawaddy and their son is a high school student. Htay is a homemaker and sells betel nuts and betel leaves from her home for living. Her family income is just enough to cover their daily expenses, but they have to borrow money for basic healthcare. . Htay was born with a heart condition called patent ductus arteriosis (PDA). PDA is a persistent opening between two major blood vessels leading from the heart. When a baby is growing in the womb the opening is necessary to provide adequate blood and oxygen, but this typically closes after birth. When it remains open, it can weaken the heart and cause other complications. Currently, Htay experiences tiredness and difficulty breathing sometimes. She feels like her condition is slowly getting worse. Htay is stressed about her condition and worries about her future. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to support surgery that will close off the patent ductus arteriosis for Htay. The treatment is scheduled to take place on March 17th and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably. Htay said, “Due to my poor health condition, I cannot help with household chores like I did before. I feel too tired to walk to the market to buy vegetables for cooking. Moreover, I worry that I would not be able to continue my daily tasks if I do not receive surgery.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Win Swe is a 25-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his uncle, cousin, and aunt in a refugee camp in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. His parents live in Burma, but since 2013, Win Swe has been staying with his uncle’s family for better educational opportunities. In the refugee camp, Win Swe’s aunt works as a member of the camp committee, while his uncle works as an agricultural day labourer outside of the camp. His uncle usually can only find work for about 5-8 days each month. His cousin is a medic who serves at the clinic in the camp. Previously, Win Swe used to work as a day labourer with his uncle, but due to his health condition, he cannot work anymore. They can access free basic health care inside the camp. When Win Swe was 18 years old, he started to feel tired while walking or carrying objects heavier than 20 kilograms, so he stopped going to school as he could not walk long distances. He went to the local clinic in the refugee camp, and the doctor suspected heart disease and presented his condition to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The IRC referred him to a hospital for testing. He was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Yet, since he was 18, he was told that he was too old to receive support from the IRC for a congenital heart condition, so he did not seek further treatment. In July 2024, Win Swe underwent an ECHO recommended by the doctor. Afterwards, the doctor diagnosed Win Swe with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) and told him that he would need surgery to repair the hole in his heart before it got any worse. Currently, Win Swe experiences fatigue, heart palpitations, rapid breathing, and sometimes chest pain after walking for even a few minutes. His symptoms have prevented him from working, leaving him feeling stressed and ashamed of having to depend on his uncle. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, can help. On April 10th, Win Swe will undergo heart surgery so he can live more comfortably and be able to work. He needs help raising $1,500 to fund the cost of his treatment and care. Win Swe says, "Thank you to your organization for helping me and finding the donors for me. There is no way for me to receive treatment without your support.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

18-year-old Say has been living with his grandparents, aunt, and five cousins in a refugee camp in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. Originally from Tanintharyi Division, Burma, Say’s parents sent him to the refugee camp to continue his studies in May 2024, because of frequent armed conflict near their village. Since he regularly missed school due to poor health, Say could not pass his exams last year, and did not return to school in May 2025. Instead, he has joined a vocational training course, covering basic computer skills, in the camp. The family receives cash support and basic health care from international aid agencies. In June 2024, Say developed a fever and started to experience nosebleeds, palpitations, fatigue, and chest pain. He was admitted for a week to the camp hospital, where the doctor diagnosed him with dengue fever and provided oral medication. He was referred to another hospital for additional treatment. During his hospital stay, Say underwent an echocardiogram (ECHO) that showed he has a ventricular septal defect, with pulmonary hypertension. Doctors explained that Say has a hole in his heart and needs surgery. However, he and his family are unable to afford the cost of this procedure. Fortunately, Say was referred to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. On July 1st, Say will undergo heart surgery to correct his ventricular septal defect. Say needs your help to raise $1,500 to cover the cost of Say's treatment and care. Say said, “I had to skip school frequently due to my health issues, which led me to drop out of school. I was very sad that my surgery would not happen due to financial problems. However, I am glad since I learned that BCMF can find donors to support my surgery. I will continue my education after the surgery.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded