Meet U Min
U Min (49) lives with his wife, son and daughter in Kayin State. His son stop his schooling after grade six to help support the family. He works as a daily labourer in the market, earning 5,000 kyat (approx. 5 USD) per day. His wife is a homemaker and his daughter is in grade seven. U Min worked as an agricultural day labourer, earning 10,000 kyat (approx. 10 USD) a day, but has been unable to work since his injury. The family now rely on U Min’s son to support them. The income he earns is not enough to cover their daily expenses nor pay for health care.
Towards the end of October 219, U Min was driving a tractor at work. When he stopped and jumped off the tractor, he landed on a stick that went straight into his right heel. In severe pain, he was brought to a clinic
in his village for treatment, but the wound would not heal. Eventually he was told to seek further treatment at Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital (MCLH) in Mon State. At that hospital, the doctor examined his right heel and saw the wound had become a black ulcer. The doctor ordered an x-ray and blood test, and told him that they would first try to treat his foot, which had become infected. When the antibiotics did not work, the doctor told U Min that the only choice left was to amputate his right leg below his knee. By that point, the pain had worsened and was especially severe at night. He was in so much pain that he quickly agreed to the amputation and asked the doctor to perform surgery as soon as possible because he could not bear the pain anymore. Unable to pay for the procedure, the doctor referred U Min to Health For All (HFA), a partner organisation, for financial support to receive treatment. Once HFA agreed to support U Min’s treatment, his right leg was amputated below his knee on 26 November 2019. After his surgery he received a pair of crutches and was discharged on 4 December 2020.
Since his surgery, U Min is no longer in pain and he can sleep well at night. The doctor taught him physiotherapy exercises and instructed him to practice walking with his crutches for the first six months after his surgery. Afterwards, he would be able to walk with a prosthetic leg. U Min and his family are happy he can move around without being in constant pain. He is planning on finding work in his village and helping his wife with chores around the house. In the future, he would like to open a barber shop because he will not have to walk long distances while cutting hair. U Min said, “I depend on my wife [to help me] but after I receive my prosthetic leg, I will be able to work again. Now, I’m happy I’m free from the pain and that I can move around [again].