Read our powered by our community 🙌 Check out our 🙌
Meet another patient

Watsi logo blueWatsi

Success! U Pyin from Burma raised $1,500 to fund heart surgery.

U Pyin
100%
  • $1,500 raised, $0 to go
$1,500
raised
$0
to go
Fully funded
U Pyin's treatment was fully funded on November 29, 2022.

Photo of U Pyin post-operation

December 14, 2022

U Pyin underwent life-saving heart surgery.

Before surgery, U Pyin could not breathe well and felt tired. He would have headaches and chest pain. He had no appetite, and he could not sleep well. Since his surgery, he no longer feels tired, nor does he have headaches. His appetite has returned, and he can sleep well. He can also walk without someone supporting him. However, he still experiences pain at the site of his surgical wound.

In the future U Pyin wants to open a Buddhist school near Yangon to teach novice monks. He was inspired by the help he received and also wants to establish a charity association where patients and students can stay while undergoing treatment or going to school.

U Pyin said, “I am so happy that I received surgery. I have more energy and I feel more confident, and less stressed. I feel like my mind is lighter. Thank you to the donors and the organisation for paying for my heart surgery. The donors and the organisation have given me a new life. I will remember them with gratitude for the rest of my life.”

Before surgery, U Pyin could not breathe well and felt tired. He would have headaches and chest pain. He had no appetite, and he could not s...

Read more
June 23, 2022

U Pyin is a 36-year-old monk who lives with three other monks, seven novice monks, and his two younger brothers, in a village in central Burma. His two younger brothers are not monks, but work at the monastery as helpers, assisting with cooking and cleaning. U Pyin has no income, but receives food and accommodation at the monastery. If he is ill, there are three local families that help to cover the costs of his basic health care expenses.

In early May, U Pyin began experiencing difficulty breathing, chest pains, and headaches. One of his brothers brought him to a hospital, where tests revealed that one of the valves in his heart needs to be replaced. This is a particularly dangerous condition, as it can lead to a stroke, and U Pyin has already suffered a stroke, earlier in his life. U Pyin was given medication, an appointment to return in two months, and sent home.

When U Pyin did not feel any better after taking the medication that he had been given, he and his brother decided that he should see a cardiologist in Yangon. The cardiologist confirmed U Pyin’s diagnosis, and stressed the need for U Pyin to have surgery to replace the ailing mitral valve. As U Pyin was unable to pay for the surgery, the doctor referred him to an abbot for assistance.

Fortunately, the abbot referred U Pyin to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, and now U Pyin is scheduled to have mitral valve replacement surgery on June 24th, at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Burma Children Medical Fund is seeking $1,500 to cover the costs of U Pyin’s procedure and care, which will enable him to breathe well and to sleep comfortably again, things that he is unable to do right now. U Pyin will also be able to return to teaching the novice monks at the monastery, which he has been unable to do because he feels so unwell.

U Pyin said: “After I recover, I want to teach novice monks again and I want to open a Buddhist school near Yangon.”

U Pyin is a 36-year-old monk who lives with three other monks, seven novice monks, and his two younger brothers, in a village in central Bur...

Read more

U Pyin's Timeline

  • June 23, 2022
    PROFILE SUBMITTED

    U Pyin was submitted by Bue Wah Say, Project Officer at Burma Children Medical Fund.

  • June 24, 2022
    TREATMENT OCCURRED

    U Pyin received treatment at Pun Hlaing Hospital in Burma. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.

  • June 28, 2022
    PROFILE PUBLISHED

    U Pyin's profile was published to start raising funds.

  • November 29, 2022
    FULLY FUNDED

    U Pyin's treatment was fully funded.

  • December 14, 2022
    TREATMENT UPDATE

    U Pyin's treatment was successful. Read the update.

Funded by 38 donors

Treatment
Mitral Valve Replacement
  • Cost Breakdown
  • Diagnosis
  • Procedure
On average, it costs $8,056 for U Pyin's treatment
Subsidies fund $6,556 and Watsi raises the remaining $1,500
Hospital Fees
$1,850
Medical Staff
$866
Medication
$0
Supplies
$4,678
Labs
$100
Radiology
$15
Other
$547
  • Symptoms
  • Impact on patient's life
  • Cultural or regional significance

​What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?

Patients may experience excessive sweating, extreme tiredness and fatigue, irregular heartbeat, rapid breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain, lightheadedness, or loss of consciousness.

​What is the impact on patients’ lives of living with these conditions?

Patients cannot do labor work—even doing household chores may tire them. Adults will be unable to care for their families, and children will be unable to play or attend school. As the condition progresses, patients may become unable to eat.

What cultural or regional factors affect the treatment of these conditions?

Patients often cannot afford to go to the hospital. Many people rely on medications provided by dealers who are not authorized pharmacists.

  • Process
  • Impact on patient's life
  • Risks and side-effects
  • Accessibility
  • Alternatives

What does the treatment process look like?

Damaged valves are repaired and replaced during open heart surgery. The surgeon will remove the current damaged heart valve and replaced it by either a mechanical or tissue valve. The surgery team will remove the heart-lung machine. The team will wire the breastbone back together and will then sew or staple the incision in the patient's skin back together.

What is the impact of this treatment on the patient’s life?

This surgery saves lives. Children will return to school, and adults will return to working and caring for their families.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

Potential side effects include bleeding, infection, fever, swelling, inflammation, arrhythmias, damage to surrounding organs, stroke, and death. Heart surgery is more likely to be life-threatening for patients who are very sick before the surgery.

How accessible is treatment in the area? What is the typical journey like for a patient to receive care?

Many of our medical partner's patients live in remote areas. They cannot afford or access treatment because it is only available in large cities.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

There are no alternatives. If left untreated, this heart condition will become life-threatening for patients.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.