Meet May
May is an 11-year-old girl who lives with her mother and four siblings in Ayeyarwady Division. Her mother sells vegetables in the market, while May and her two younger siblings go to school. One of her older siblings works as an agricultural day labourer while the other works as a shop assistant for a bookstore. Their household's monthly income is just enough to cover all their daily expenses.
May was born at home with the toes on her left foot fused together as well as a left clubfoot. When she was two years old, she started to walk but her mother had to hold her up whenever she did. A year later, her left leg became swollen, painful and red. Her leg especially hurt when she walked. Therefore, her mother took her to a charity in Hinthada. The doctor at the
clinic referred her to Hinthada General Hospital for further investigation and possible surgery. With the help of the charity clinic, the first surgery was performed on May’s leg in the hopes of increasing blood circulation in her left leg. May’s mother was told that for May to be able to walk properly, she would need a second surgery. However, her father becoming severely ill and they could not afford to pay for her second surgery. They also did not return for her follow-up appointment. A month after her surgery, May’s leg became swollen and painful again. Instead of bringing her back to the clinic or the hospital, her mother put balm on her leg and sometimes bought painkillers for her. May started going to school at the age of seven. Unable to walk there, every day her mother had to carry her to and from school on her back.
One day staff from the charity clinic told May’s mother about an organisation called Health For All (HFA), and that they will come to their clinic in September 2019 to provide wheelchairs for people with disabilities. They told her they would add May’s name to the list of recipients requesting a wheelchair from HFA. May's mother then brought her to the charity clinic during HFA's wheelchair fitting mission and May received a mobility cart. When HFA staff met her, they suspected that she had been born with a congenital condition called amniotic band syndrome as well as fused toes and a left clubfoot. An HFA staff thought she might be able to walk again if she received surgery on her left leg and asked May and her mother if she wanted to receive surgery through the support of HFA. When both May and her mother agreed to seek further treatment for May, HFA referred her to Mawlamyine Christine Leprosy Hospital (MCLH), in Mon State for further treatment.
At MCLH, the doctor confirmed May's diagnosis of club foot and amniotic band syndrome. Surgery was performed on 25 October 2019 to straighten her left foot. She also received a cast to help her foot heal properly.
At the hospital May did not feel scared. Since her surgery, she feels better. In the past when she used to walk for a longer period of time, she would experience pain in her left foot. “Now it will be easier to walk and play with my friends,” she said. “Before my family had to carry me to school but now, they are happy [I will be able to walk] and I’m also happy.” In the future, May would like to become a doctor like the one who operated on her.