Meet Tun
Tun (33) lives with his wife, son, daughter, parents-in-law, sister-in-law, niece and nephew in Kayin State. Although they live in the same house, they do not share their income or their expenses. Tun used to work as a construction day labourer, earning 10,000 kyat per day (approx. 10 USD), but stopped working eight months ago when his health deteriorated. Currently, only his wife works. She earns about 5,000 kyat per day (approx. 5 USD), earning an income of 130,000 kyat (approx. 130 USD) in a month. This is just enough to cover their daily expenses, pay for basic health care and their son's school fees.
At the age of 12, Tun experienced fatigue, which stopping him from running around with friends. He didn’t see a doctor until he was 18.
Around that time, he experienced sharp chest pains and severe tiredness. At Hpa-An General Hospital he was diagnosed with a narrowing of the heart valves and he was told that he would need surgery. Tun could not afford surgery, so the doctor gave him oral medication to try and stabilise his heart condition. For the next couple of years, Tun took his the medication regularly, except whenever he ran out of money.
In early October 2019, after three days of extreme tiredness, a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing and no relief from his medications, Tun was admitted at Hpa-An General Hospital for a week. He felt better with the new medications he was given, but the medications cost him 450,000 kyat (approx. 450 USD) - his hospital admission however was free at the government hospital.
One day, Tun told his friend about his health problems, who raises funds for Ananda Myitta Clinic (AMC) in Hpa-An, a partner of Health For All (HFA). His friend advised him to meet the monk who runs the clinic. After Tun met the monk and received an echocardiogram (echo) from a clinic, the monk referred him to HFA for assistance accessing further treatment.
After HFA staff checked Tun’s echo results, the staff saw that he had been diagnosed with mitral valve stenosis and regurgitation, a condition affecting a valve in his heart. The staff then told Tun HFA would support his treatment and referred him to Pinlon Hospital in Yangon. Tun was admitted on 13 December 2019 and underwent surgery on 16 December 2019 to repair the valve in his heart. After surgery, he was in intensive care for four days before being transferred to the general ward - he was discharge from the hospital on 23 December 2019.
Since Tun's surgery he no longer feels fatigued, does not have a rapid heartbeat and no longer experiences sharp chest pains. His appetite has increased and he can sleep well at night. Tun said the surgery has not only benefitted him but his family as well. “I could never afford to receive this kind of surgery on my family’s income," he said. "I would be a dead person [without the donors’ help] and I wouldn’t be able to live much longer [and spend time] with my family. This surgery has changed my life and my dreams [for the future]. After I recover from surgery, I will work to pay back my family’s debt of 300,000 kyat (approx. 300 USD). I will send my children to school until they graduate from university. I want to say thank you very much to the donors too.”