Zaw is a 15-year-old boy who lives with his mother and his 11-year-old brother in Burma. Both Zaw and his brother are students, but Zaw stopped attending when his health deteriorated.
Zaw has been diagnosed with atrial septal defect, which means there is a hole in his heart. He needs to undergo heart surgery to treat his condition. Fortunately, surgery is scheduled for March 12. Now, his family needs help raising $1,500 to fund this procedure.
Zaw underwent heart surgery.
He no longer experiences negative symptoms.
Zaw’s mother says, “I would like to say a big thank you to you all. I will remember your great generous donation in prayer, and I will try to send him to learn more about religion.”
Zaw was submitted by Ma Tu, Senior Project Officer at Burma Children Medical Fund.
Zaw's profile was published to start raising funds.
Zaw received treatment at Pinlon Private Hospital in Burma. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.
Zaw's treatment was fully funded.
What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?
Patients may experience excessive sweating, extreme tiredness and fatigue, irregular heartbeat, rapid breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain, cyanosis (a blue tinge to the skin), clubbed fingernails, lightheadedness, or loss of consciousness.
What is the impact on patients’ lives of living with these conditions?
Patients cannot do labor work—even doing household chores may tire them. Adults will be unable to care for their families, and children will be unable to play or attend school. As the condition progresses, patients may become unable to eat.
What cultural or regional factors affect the treatment of these conditions?
Burma has a long queue of congenital cardiac patients who need surgery. With only four fully trained cardiac surgeons in Burma, children with congenital heart defects may have extreme difficulty accessing treatment.
What does the treatment process look like?
Doctors may combine catheter and surgical procedures to repair complex congenital heart defects. If the defect cannot be fixed with a catheter, the patient will undergo an open heart surgery to close holes in the heart.
What is the impact of this treatment on the patient’s life?
This surgery saves lives. Children will return to school, and adults will return to working and caring for their families.
What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?
Potential side effects include bleeding, infection, fever, swelling, inflammation, arrhythmias, damage to surrounding organs, stroke, and death. Heart surgery is more likely to be life-threatening for patients who are very sick before the surgery.
How accessible is treatment in the area? What is the typical journey like for a patient to receive care?
Many of our medical partner's patients live in remote areas. They cannot afford or access treatment because it is only available in large cities.
What are the alternatives to this treatment?
There are no alternatives. If left untreated, this heart condition will become life-threatening for patients.