Nong Tan Nai U is the first child of a Burmese family whose parents came to work in Thailand like other Burmese families about 8 years ago. Her father worked at a shipyard near Saphan Taksin, Bangkok, while her mother worked at a Thai Union dessert company, earning 300 baht per day.

Nong Tan Nai U was born at Vichaiyut Hospital in Samut Sakhon Province. At birth, she was fine until she was 4 months old. Her parents took her to get vaccinated as scheduled by the doctor. The doctor examined her and listened to her heart and found that her heart was beating abnormally. The doctor suspected that she had heart disease, so he sent her to the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health or Children’s Hospital for further treatment.

The doctor at the Children’s Hospital found that she had a ruptured atrial septum and recommended surgery, as the only way to cure her condition. However, since her parents had no money, the doctor kept making appointments to monitor her condition. Until she started to get sick often, she took longer to recover than other children, and she had shortness of breath, so they had to take her to get an inhaler regularly. When she was about 1 year old, the doctor made an appointment for surgery.

Nong Tal Nai U underwent surgery with assistance from the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation. The surgery was performed on Thursday, February 5, 2015. Her condition gradually improved after the scheduled surgery. She is bright and cheerful and does not tire easily like before.