Ma Kyi is a shy, 14-year-old girl from Hpa-an, Burma. She lives with her parents, aunt, and three of her four siblings.
Ma Kyi was born with a mass between her eyes. Her parents did not seek treatment because the mass did not cause Ma Kyi any health problems; she had no pain and no issues with her vision or breathing. The parents hoped that the mass might disappear by itself and a person in their village told them that surgery could make Ma Kyi lose her vision. The parents had also never been to a city before and believed they did not have enough money for surgery.
Despite the lack of physical symptoms, Ma Kyi’s condition has significantly impacted her life; she felt so self-conscious about her appearance that she stopped attending school four years ago in grade four. Since she has been out of school, she has tried to help her parents around the house as much as possible. She needs a CT scan to confirm what her condition is - though it is suspected to be an encephalocele, or a neural tube defect. Should this be the case, she will be able to receive subsequent surgery to ensure the mass does not grow larger or impact her vision and development in the future.
“I hope that Ma Kyi will receive treatment and go back to school,” shares her mother.