“I only want to say thank you, I am so grateful that you will help me again,” says Khin Shwe, a 38-year-old mother from Thailand. Khin Shwe was a previous patient with our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), and Watsi donors funded a total abdominal hysterectomy to remove Khin Shwe’s uterus after doctors diagnosed her with a uterine myoma. Unfortunately, since that operation, she developed an ovarian mass—necessitating removal of her left ovary through an oophorectomy procedure.
“In July, after her first operation, Khin Shwe could still feel the mass in the right side of her abdomen. Now, the mass is 19 cm by 23 cm—it is so large it can be seen through her abdomen and is causing her a lot of physical discomfort,” explains BBP. Along with being painful, the mass is causing Khin Shwe to lose weight quickly. “I want to eat a lot, but I cannot, my abdomen becomes even bigger when I do—it is so uncomfortable for me, I feel stuffed all the time and I cannot sleep well at night,” she describes.
Since Khin Shwe returned from BBP’s clinic in Burma, she has been staying with her daughter, who works at a factory, and her husband—a security guard at a local factory. BBP continues, “It is painful for her when she sits down and stands up, she only walks a little and slowly. At home, she can cook rice and clean a little, but she cannot carry anything. She just prepares the curry for when her husband and daughter return from work.”
For $1,500, Khin Shwe will undergo a second oophorectomy. This time, doctors will remove her right ovary and the painful, growing tumor. Funding will also cover a seven-day hospital stay, transportation to BBP’s hospital clinic and food throughout her recovery. BBP adds, “After surgery, Khin Shwe will be able to go back to see her father in Burma,” who recently suffered a stroke. “She will be able to help her mother take care of him.”
“When I arrived at the clinic, the midwife encouraged me and told me that the organization that helped me before will be able to help me again. I am so thankful that I will get a new life,” shares Khin Shwe. “When I am healthy I will go back to see my father—I know that it will be the last time. I pray for my father—I was so confused I had to think about my father’s condition and my condition so I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t get treatment because I had to take care of my father.”
Let’s help end to Khin Shwe’s medical issues so she can care for her children and her father.