Boy Mike, Mon, 4.9 years old, is the first child of his father, Yod, and mother, Dao. Both are Mon and have been working in Thailand since 2007. They used to work in construction in Bangkok. They have now moved to Sriracha to work and pay 1,000 baht per month for rent.

Mike was born at Bang Phli Hospital in Samut Prakan. His parents work in construction and earn 200 baht per day. When he was born, the doctor said he had a heart condition and sent him to a children’s hospital for further treatment. However, he had no money at the time, so he did not go. When Mike was 10 days old, he became ill, so his father decided to take him for treatment. Each visit cost 200-500 baht.

Shortly after the checkup, the children’s hospital scheduled a heart catheterization, which cost 30,000 baht. His father had to borrow money from his employer, deducting it from his income. He still has not finished paying off his debts.

Mike often gets sick, gets a fever, and has a cold, so he has to take him to the hospital for treatment. Bangplee all the time, Nong Mike had surgery with assistance from Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation. He had the surgery at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital on February 20, 2012. Nong Mike stayed in the hospital for 8 days before being able to go home.

Mother Dao said that since Nong Mike was born, she had never taken him to see his grandparents because he was always sick. After the surgery, she will take him home.