Ma Sway is a 39-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband and five children in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. She is originally from Karen State, Burma. She moved to the refugee camp in 2003, due to the fighting in her village in Burma. Her husband works as a farmer, where he plants vegetables around the camp. Ma Sway works from home as a tailor. Four of her children are attending school in the camp, and one is working outside the camp. They receive food rations and cash support from an international aid organization.
In March 2024, Ma Sway noticed a painful mass in her left breast. She went to the camp hospital operated by another non-profit, where the doctor provided pain medication that offered some relief. However, in March 2025, she felt weak and felt two firm masses in her left breast. She underwent further tests, where doctors informed her the masses were not cancerous, but she needed surgery to have them removed.
Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Ma Sway receive treatment. She will undergo mass removal surgery on June 12th at our medical partner’s care center, Mae Sariang Hospital. Now, she needs help to raise $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once removed, Ma Sway will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain and worry.
Ma Sway shared, “I would like to have the masses in my breast removed because whenever I feel them, I worry they will become cancer.”