Cho is a two-year-old girl who lives with her parents, sister and brother in a village in Tak Province, Thailand. Cho’s father suffers from severe arthritis and hasn’t been able to work since last year. Cho’s brother is an agriculture day labourer and earns 2,000 baht (approx. 67 USD) per month. Cho’s mother takes care of their family and home, while her sister goes to school.
After Cho’s birth, her mother noticed that her right eyeball protruded out from her eye socket and that her eyeball was blue. However, the doctor did not tell Cho’s mother anything about Cho’s eye and her mother also thought that it was not causing Cho any pain or discomfort, so did not seek further treatment for Cho at the time.
During the first week of April 2019, staff from an organisation called The Migrant Fund, that sells affordable health insurance to migrant workers on the Thai-Burma border, went to Cho’s village to promote the health insurance. When Cho’s mother told a staff from The Migrant Fund that she wants to purchase health insurance for Cho, the staff told her she would have to buy it at the organisation’s desk in Mae Sot Hospital (MSH). Cho’s mother borrowed some money and brought Cho to MSH. After purchasing the health insurance, Cho received a vision test and her mother was told she would have to go to Chiang Mai Hospital for further investigation. However, Cho’s mother did not have money or documents to travel. She was then advised to go to Yangon General Hospital but Cho’s mother thought it would be expensive to travel and pay for treatment. Instead they went home, and Cho used eye drops and eye ointments.
In January 2021, Cho’s mother noticed that Cho’s right eye was slowly increasing in size. Then, last week, Cho developed a fever and a small bump developed on her right pupil. She also had a lot of discharge in her eye, her eye was itchy, and she could not sleep well at night. Her mother noticed that she would always rub her eyes and cry. A couple days ago, Cho woke up crying and would not open her right eye. When her mother opened her right eye to check her eyeball, a lot of blood came out and she saw that the small bump had perforated. Right away Cho’s mother borrowed money and brought Cho to a Hospital.
At the hospital, the doctor cleaned Cho’s right eye and told Cho’s mother that Cho needed surgery right away at MSH. Since she did not have enough money, the doctor gave her a follow-up appointment for May 23rd. When Cho and her mother arrived back at home, Cho’s mother asked the village head for help, who then called Kyaw Kyaw, a member of a charity group. With the help of this group, Cho was brought to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). At the clinic, Cho received vitamin A and eye drops. A medic told Cho’s mother that Cho needed surgery right away. Knowing that Cho’s mother could not afford to pay for Cho’s treatment, the medic referred Cho to our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing further treatment.
Currently, Cho’s mother believes that Cho is in pain and has a headache. Her right eye is watery and sensitive to light. She shared, “I feel stressed and I cry everyday when I see my daughter suffering from pain. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, my family does not have a lot of work, and the situation [restrictions] make it harder for us to earn money. I felt so happy and I could not believe it at first when I heard that a donor would help support my child [Cho’s] treatment. I never knew that there is such an organisation that will support your surgery!”