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Thiri is a 9-year-old girl from Burma who needs $1,500 to fund eye surgery.

Thiri
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  • $763 raised, $736 to go
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$736
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January 31, 2023

Nine-year-old Thiri is a first-grader, living with her mother and two brothers in Burma. Her mother sells vegetables in a local shop, while Thiri and her brothers attend school.

While playing with her friends in front of her house in early January 2023, Thiri tripped, and fell into a pile of rice sacks, injuring her left eye in the process. Immediately, she realized that she could not see out of her left eye. Over time, her eye injury became more painful, red, and sensitive to light. Eventually, when her eye did not heal, her mother brought her to Mae Sot Hospital, where she was diagnosed with traumatic glaucoma.

Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Thiri. On February 1st, doctors at Mae Sot General Hospital will remove the natural lenses from both of her eyes, and replace them with intraocular lens implants. Once she has recovered. Thiri will regain her ability to see clearly. Now she needs your help to fund this critical procedure.

Thiri’s mother said: “I want her to receive surgery and recover soon so that she [Thiri] can go back to school and I can go back to work. I want her to be rich in the future, not like me, and own her own shop, because she likes to cook.”

Nine-year-old Thiri is a first-grader, living with her mother and two brothers in Burma. Her mother sells vegetables in a local shop, while ...

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Thiri's Timeline

  • January 31, 2023
    PROFILE SUBMITTED

    Thiri was submitted by Bridgitte Agocs at Burma Children Medical Fund.

  • February 1, 2023
    TREATMENT SCHEDULED

    Thiri was scheduled to receive treatment at Mae Sot General Hospital in Thailand. 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.

  • February 7, 2023
    PROFILE PUBLISHED

    Thiri's profile was published to start raising funds.

  • TODAY
    AWAITING FUNDING

    Thiri is currently raising funds for her treatment.

  • TBD
    AWAITING UPDATE

    Awaiting Thiri's treatment update from Burma Children Medical Fund.

Treatment
Lens Replacement
  • Cost Breakdown
  • Diagnosis
  • Procedure
On average, it costs $3,505 for Thiri's treatment
Subsidies fund $2,005 and Watsi raises the remaining $1,500
Hospital Fees
$1,597
Medical Staff
$501
Medication
$186
Supplies
$1,020
Labs
$30
Other
$171
  • Symptoms
  • Impact on patient's life
  • Cultural or regional significance

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

Patients may experience blurred or dim vision, shadows or blind spots in the field of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, and double vision.

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

Reduced vision can result in social isolation, depression, increased risk of falling and accidents, and ultimately a greater tendency to be disabled. Without surgery, the patient will have no choice but to live with end-stage ocular disease, often resulting in blindness or pain.

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

The healthcare system in Burma does not permit the average citizen to receive proper eye examinations. This lack of attention to ocular health is due to a variety of reasons. However, a low optometrist-to-population ratio and insufficient funds are the leading causes.

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

What does the treatment process look like?

Surgery will only be performed if the pressure in the eye is stable. The time it takes to stabilize the pressure in the eye depends on the severity of damage to the eye.

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

The patient will regain his or her vision, though it may not be perfectly clear. Fortunately, the surgery prevents a complete loss of vision.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

Potential side effects include bleeding, infection, scarring, persistent swelling, wound separation, and the need to undergo additional surgery.

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

Burma has 309 ophthalmologists and 150 eye nurses. Fewer than half of the ophthalmologists perform surgery, and almost two-thirds confine their practice to the cities of Yangon (with a population of about six million) and Mandalay (about three million), where many people have the financial capacity to meet high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. Aside from these main facilities, there is roughly one ophthalmologist for every 500,000 people, and eye health screening and treatment for children and adults is neither comprehensive nor consistent.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

There are no alternatives. If left untreated, the patient will eventually lose his or her vision completely.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Jocelyn

Jocelyn is a loving mother of four from Philippines. She works as a bookkeeper, and her husband works as a part-time sidecar driver while also looking after their children. Despite their hard work, their combined income is just enough for the family's daily needs. Three years ago, Jocelyn began to experience troubling symptoms, including episodes of epigastric pain. Worried about their finances, she chose to defer her checkup. Unfortunately, the symptoms worsened as she began to experience difficulty of breathing, and persistent vomiting. She was brought to the nearest hospital to be given emergency care. The doctor told her to have an abdominal ultrasound. The test showed that she was suffering from gallstones, which can no longer be treated with medicines. Jocelyn has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put him at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Jocelyn is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on February 17th. A portion of the cost of the procedure is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $1,128 to cover the cost of Jocelyn's surgery and care. Jocelyn shared, "I'd like to thank WATSI and World Surgical Foundation Philippines for sponsoring my surgery. May you continue helping people who are financially incapable of paying for their surgeries. You are an answered prayer!"

35% funded

35%funded
$398raised
$730to go

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.