Zin is a twelve-year-old girl with chronic osteomyelitis in her hip joint. She lives with her parents, four brothers, and two sisters. Zin is currently in seventh grade at school.
Zin’s parents own and work a rice field and garlic farms. Her two older siblings also work as day laborers on other farms. Still, the family has to borrow money to pay for fertilizer and to rent tractors and other farm equipment.
In February of 2014, Zin began to experience discomfort in her hip. She visited a general hospital and underwent an X-ray. The doctor diagnosed her with tuberculosis and attributed her hip pain to untreated tuberculosis. She was prescribed anti-tuberculosis medication.
On a recent visit to the hospital, Zin learned that she needed surgery to treat her hip pain. She had osteomyelitis, an infection in her bone. She could not walk properly, sit for long periods of time, or sleep on her side. On December 15, she underwent a hip replacement surgery. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure.
“I want to finish school and become an educated person,” says Zin. “I want to be a medical doctor or a nurse, because I know how it feels to be a patient.”