Ma Sein is a 25-year-old woman with mitral valve disease, a condition affecting her heart. She was born in a village in Burma. However, when she was 15, she moved to Thailand to work. She worked as a day laborer, peeling and de-veining prawns near Bangkok. She met and married her husband, and together they had a baby boy.
When she was 14 years old, Ma Sein began to experience extreme fatigue, which sometimes prevented her even from walking short distances. Her family purchased oral medication from a local pharmacist. This treatment helped to alleviate her symptoms, but it did not fully cure her illness.
One year later, when Ma Sein was working in Thailand, she felt her heart beating abnormally. She visited a local clinic, where the doctor told her she needed a surgery. The doctor also prescribed her medication. Knowing she could not afford surgery, Ma Sein decided to rely solely on the medication.
Then, one year ago, her symptoms severely deteriorated. She was extremely tired, and she began to experience chest pain. In early 2016, she stopped working entirely and returned home.
Back in her village, Ma Sein spoke with a friend who told her about our medical partner. To traveled to our medical partner’s hospital, Pinlon Private Hospital, to seek treatment. On January 6, she will undergo a mitral valve replacement. Now, she needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure.
“I don’t want anything but a healthy life,” says Ma Sein.