Thanakorn Aunwong, or Nong Jing Jang, is the only son of Mom Kanda and Dad Thani. His mother separated from his father when he was 2 months old. Nong Jing Jang has a congenital heart defect that was detected since birth. He is also a special child with Down syndrome. He cannot help himself at all and cannot speak. His mother has to help him with everything, such as feeding him, bathing him, dressing him, excreting himself, and other things.

His mother works as a laborer, repairing clothes at home. When he was 9 months old, she took him to Naresuan Hospital for treatment because he had an infection.

In 2004, for Nong Jing Jang’s congenital heart disease treatment, he had undergone a blood vessel surgery when he was 9 months old at Bumrungrad Hospital with the help of the Heart Disease Children’s Foundation. After that, he went to Naresuan Hospital for regular checkups, where he received continuous treatment until 2009. The doctor informed him that he needed another surgery, but his mother said she did not know what to do because she did not have the money to travel to Bangkok for the surgery. Naresuan Hospital could not perform this type of heart surgery, so they could only take care of him and save money for his treatment.

While my son was waiting for surgery, someone suggested that I take him to get developmental training. So, I took him to get developmental training at the Special Education Center, Educational Region 7, Phitsanulok Province because I wanted him to be able to help himself. After receiving developmental training, he was able to help himself very well.

In 2011, when my son had an appointment in Bangkok, my son said that he did not have money for travel expenses and expenses when he came to Bangkok for treatment, so he consulted with the staff of the Special School, Region 7. They suggested that I submit a petition to His Majesty the King for help.

My son said that about 2 months after sending a letter, he was contacted by Chitralada Palace to say that they had accepted him as a patient under the royal patronage of His Majesty the King. My son said that he was very happy and grateful to receive this help.

My son had surgery at Rajavithi Hospital on August 3, 2013. He did not stay in the hospital long before he was able to go home. However, my son still had to bring him to see the doctor continuously after the surgery. My son hoped that one day he would be able to recover from this disease and be able to help himself and live like a normal person.