Lar is a 22-year-old woman. She was born in Burma, but her family moved when she was young, and she has lived in Thailand for almost 20 years. She and her husband farm corn on a neighbor’s land. They also work as agricultural day laborers, planting rice to earn extra money.
For two years, Lar worked in Bangkok as a domestic worker. During this time, she began to experience troubling symptoms. She felt tired and dizzy, had difficulty breathing, and could not continue her work. When she did work, she experienced heart palpitations. She visited a doctor in Bangkok and underwent an echocardiogram. She was diagnosed with a cardiac condition, an atrial septal defect (ASD). This means there is a hole between the upper chambers of her heart.
Recently, Lar was referred to our medical partner. She is experiencing back pain, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. She cannot work, eat, or sleep well. Fortunately, on January 8, she will undergo an ASD closure surgery.
Lar has been unable to work, and her husband has taken time off from work to care for her. They cannot afford this surgery, so our medical partner is requesting $1,500 in funding.
