38-year-old Dah lives in Burma with her husband, her 18-year-old niece, and her three children. Our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), says that both Dah’s niece and 13-year-old daughter are in school. To support the family, Dah’s son earns a modest income working as a hunter.
This past August, Dah felt a palpable mass in her abdomen caused by ovarian cysts. When her symptoms persisted, Dah initially sought medical care locally, but her condition was misdiagnosed and left untreated.
Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled masses that develop within the uterus. BBP explains that without treatment, “Dah’s abdomen is growing bigger everyday and she suffers from back pain. She did not want to seek treatment for her condition in Burma, because she knows that she would not be able to afford the medical costs.”
For $1,500, Dah will receive a total abdominal hysterectomy–removing her uterus, cervix, and painful masses during a single operation. This treatment will alleviate Dah’s immediate symptoms and prevent her condition from recurring in the future.
“Following surgery for ovarian cysts, Dah will no longer have bloating of her stomach and back pain,” BBP states. “After recovering, she will be able to commence looking for work in a local clinic.”
Burma Children’s Medical Fund, an organization that facilitates the transportation and treatment of Burmese people at Thai hospitals, is subsidizing this surgery by $1,421.
“I want to get surgery for my condition so I don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Dah shares. “When I have recovered from that, I would like to start working in a clinic and helping people. My first priority now is to get healthy and feel better. Then, I can continue with my dreams.”