Meet 19-year-old Lay. Originally from Burma, Lay now resides in Thailand and works as a waiter. He lives with his father, a construction worker, and his mother, a homemaker. Lay’s favorite sport is football.
Referred to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), from the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand, Lay has been diagnosed with a heart condition known as a ventricular-septal defect. This congenital heart defect results in a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart. As a result of Lay’s condition, BBP reports, “he feels tired and has heart palpitations. He sweats a lot while he runs and plays football or caries something heavy.”
$1,500 will fund a complex cardiac surgery to correct the ventricular-septal defect in Lay’s heart.
“After surgery, Lay should be able to go back to his work and generate money for his family,” BBP explains. “He should not feel tired nor have heart palpitations. He should not have fatigue when he plays and runs or carries heavy things.”
“I am really worried for my son’s condition after I heard the news from the doctor,” Lay’s mother adds. “I have only one son and one daughter so I do not want to see his condition get worse – I am afraid to lose him. I hope he will recover and I want him to stay with me in the future.”
“I want to recover and work again to support my family,” Lay tells BBP