Chutachai or Off is the son of Mom Saenglapa Phongma, who is currently 44 years old and works as a construction worker. His father, Boonsong Chan, works at a factory. His mother told us that when she was pregnant with Off, she was 22 years old and worked at the same factory as her father, earning 75 baht per day. She stayed in the workers’ dormitory with her father in Uthai Thani Province. Her mother had regular prenatal care, and the doctor didn’t tell her anything. Until she gave birth at Ban Rai Hospital in Uthai Thani Province, Off was born healthy and weighed 3,100 grams. After giving birth, she took him to get checked up and vaccinated as scheduled. The doctor or health officer never told her that he had any abnormalities or heart disease. Then, when he was about 4 months old, his mother took him to buy grilled squid in front of the factory. The grilled squid seller told her that he had congenital heart disease because his nephew had the same disease and had the same symptoms as him. So he thought that he might have the same disease because his fingernails and toenails were green and his mouth was black. However, his mother still didn’t take him to get checked up or see a doctor because his mother and father had a low income. And when they found out that going to the doctor required quite a lot of money, Mom and Dad worked to save money until Nong was about 7 months old, then took Nong to Uthai Thani Hospital for a checkup. The doctor at Uthai Thani Hospital did an ECG and the results showed that Nong Off really did have a congenital heart disease. Uthai Thani Hospital did not have a specialist in this disease. So the doctor sent Nong to be checked and treated at the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health or the original Children’s Hospital so that they could do a detailed examination to find out what kind of heart disease she had and be able to treat her properly.

So Mom brought Nong to the Children’s Hospital since she was 7 months old and had her symptoms monitored all the time until she underwent a heart catheterization at the Children’s Hospital when Nong was 2 years old. The doctor informed her that Nong Off’s congenital heart disease required surgery and told her to wait in line for surgery. When she got her turn, the staff would contact her back.

Mom kept waiting. Until she was about 7 years old, she was contacted by Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation that she had an appointment for surgery and asked to bring her to Rajavithi Hospital for surgery. Before the first surgery, she got tired very easily. She would be out of breath after walking for a few steps. Whenever she went anywhere, her mother and father had to carry her the whole time. Her fingernails and toenails were green, her mouth was green, and she was often sick. She was small and thin and dark. After the first surgery on May 23, 2003, her red body got better and her blood turned red. She started to learn to walk. She could walk but not very far. She still felt tired. Later, her mother became pregnant with another child, who was born normally. However, because Nong Off had a heart condition, the expenses were high and she had another small child. Her parents’ financial situation worsened and became more difficult. In addition, in 2011, her parents separated, causing Nong Chutachai to miss treatment and follow-up for a period of time. Her mother said that after separating from her father, she had no money or a phone, so she took a job as a construction worker in Samut Sakhon and brought both children to live in a construction worker camp together. Earning 230 baht a day, which was enough for the 3 of us to live, so we didn’t have money to take our children to see a doctor.

Until 2012, the youngest child was about to enter school and Nong Off had to enter Mathayom 1. So, his mother sent both children to live with their father in Uthai Thani because she had no fixed place to live. When she returned to live with her father in Uthai Thani, she still did not receive treatment, so her children’s condition kept getting worse. Until New Year’s Day 2014, her mother heard that her children were sick and had to be treated at Uthai Thani Hospital because they had pulmonary edema. So, she went down to pick Nong Off up and bring him to Bangkok for treatment. However, Uthai Thani Hospital still did not allow him to leave the hospital because his condition was still not safe. However, the hospital did not have a pediatric cardiologist, so she took the risk and asked to bring him to Bangkok for treatment herself. If anything happened to him during the trip, she was ready to accept it. So, the hospital allowed him to travel with her to continue his treatment at the hospital. When she brought him to Bangkok, she contacted the Children’s Heart Surgery Support Foundation, Heart Institute. Rajavithi Hospital, where the foundation admitted Nong Off to the hospital that day because his condition was so severe that he could not walk, so he had to undergo urgent surgery to insert a pacemaker. Nong had to stay at Rajavithi Hospital for 3 months before he could be discharged. When he was discharged, Nong returned to his home in Uthai Thani with his father. When he first came for a follow-up, his mother would take a van to pick him up in Uthai Thani to bring him to Rajavithi Hospital. Later, when Nong was over 18, he had his father send him in a van and his mother picked him up at the van station and brought him to the hospital. In 2017, his mother took Nong Off to live with her in Bangkok because Nong Off was not in good health and was tired from walking up the stairs, so he could not go to school or do any activities. Nong Off had to drop out of school to live with his mother.

Currently, Nong Off and his mother rent a room in Min Buri. Nong Off still works as a construction worker, earning 500 baht a day. Some days he is hired, some days he is not, so he has to go back to the rented room together. His mother tries to work to support Nong Off better.