Meet Yin, a 34-year-old mother of three from Burma. Yin is married with one son and two daughters. “She works as a market vendor selling fruits and vegetables, and her husband is a rickshaw driver. They have never been able to save money, because it is very expensive to send their three children to school,” reports our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “Despite the financial barrier, Yin insists on making sure her children are educated, because she was only able to attend school until grade 3 and wants more for them.”
Yin was born with congenital heart disease, a defect in the heart’s structure that results in loss of normal function, and eventually heart failure. “Yin first learned of her condition when she was 17, but never sought treatment because she knew she could not afford it,” continues BBP. “Yin’s condition causes her to experience weight loss, dizziness, severe heart palpitations, fatigue and chest pains. She finds she needs to rest for longer and longer periods after physical activity, and the financial burden of disease is causing her stress.”
“In August 2014, her symptoms became so severe that she took a loan of 500 USD from a money lender and went to see a doctor who told her she would need surgery,” explains BBP. “Yin has been unable to work for the past year and worries about how she will pay back her loans.”
For $1500, Yin can receive a complex cardiac surgery that will correct the congenital heart defect and fully resolve her current symptoms. This cost covers the procedure, hospitalization (x-rays, medication, laboratory testing, meals), transport, and pre and post-surgery outpatient visits.
Yin remains positive and looks forward to a bright future. “Yin plans to go back into business after treatment and sell goods in many different markets,” says BBP. “Her dream is to one day run her own company. She believes that treatment will allow her to be a better wife and mother.”
