Meet 41-year-old Yin from Thailand. She lives with her husband and six-year-old son, who is currently in the first grade. “She has been working as a day laborer on farms and construction sites with her husband for more than four years now,” reports our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “Together, they earn about 350 baht (10 USD) per month; however, Yin has had to stop working because of her condition.”
Yin has a uterine myoma—a benign, fibrous tumor within the muscle tissue of the uterus. “Yin’s abdomen is hard and painful due to the mass in her uterus,” explains BBP. “She has difficulty breathing and is unable to be physically active.”
“Her condition has forced her to stop work for the past three to four months since her job is very physically demanding, and this has caused financial hardship for her family,” continues BBP. “Even with both Yin and her husband working, the money they earn is not always enough to pay for day-to-day expenses such as food and school fees.”
With $1500 in funding, Yin will receive surgery to address her uterine myoma. She will undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, as well as an oophorectomy—procedures that will remove Yin’s uterus, cervix and ovaries. Stage three uterus prolapse—where the pelvic muscles and ligaments supporting the uterus are weakened—calls for specific treatment, as well. $1500 will cover the cost of the operation, hospitalization, food allowance, transport, and pre and post-surgery out-patient visits.
“After receiving surgery, Yin will no longer suffer from the symptoms she currently experiences,” says BBP. “She plans to go back to work with her husband and hopes to have another child.”
“Yin wants her son to be a teacher when he grows up,” shares BBP. “She wants to be able to support him, so that he is able to become educated.” Yin tells us, “I want to be healthy so I can work and earn money to support my family and provide for my son.”
