Nong Worachai or Nong P is the youngest, thin child. He was born at Thammasat University Hospital. His parents noticed that when he cried, his body would turn green, but the doctor said that he was normal. He liked to cry at night, but not during the day. He would get sick very often. His parents would take him to see a doctor. The doctor would say that he had diarrhea or that he didn’t like milk, so they told him to try changing milk and treat his symptoms each time. When he was 2 months old, they took him to get vaccinated. The doctor saw him and asked to see him for a checkup because he thought that he might have heart disease. However, at that time, Thammasat University Hospital didn’t have a regular doctor who specialized in heart disease. So the hospital sent him to Phatthanonburi Hospital and then analyzed the results at Thammasat University Hospital. The doctor said that he had a complex congenital heart disease and asked to see a heart specialist immediately. So we tried Chest Hospital, but that place doesn’t accept patients under 13 years old. Someone recommended that we see the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, so we took him since he was about 4 months old. The doctor said that he also had a complex congenital heart disease. There are many disabilities, both veins and arteries are reversed, blood vessels are narrowed, there are only 3 heart chambers, and many more.

However, the doctors at the institute have been continuously monitoring her symptoms. As she grows older, her symptoms become more severe. She gets tired easily, has to rest after walking for a short while, has a blue mouth and blue nails, and weighs less than normal children. She eats less and vomits if she eats a lot.

The doctors contacted the foundation to support children’s heart surgery. The first surgery was performed when she was about 3-4 years old to correct the initial abnormality and prepare her for another major surgery. Her symptoms improved, but they were not completely cured. She was less tired than before and less blue. The doctors have been continuously monitoring her symptoms, waiting for her to grow up and be ready for another major surgery. When the doctors performed the second major surgery to correct all the abnormalities, after the surgery, her symptoms clearly improved a lot. She was not as blue as before and did not get tired easily.

Her father, Han Narong Tuenjai, 36 years old, was laid off due to the economic crisis in February. Therefore, she lost income to support her family. Currently, my mother, Khunyanya Nilathaisong, is 39 years old and works as a factory worker in Ayutthaya province. She is the sole breadwinner for the family. If it weren’t for the Children’s Heart Surgery Foundation to help, our family wouldn’t know how to help our son because the surgery costs are so high.

Our family would like to thank the Children’s Heart Surgery Foundation for helping Nong P return to living like a normal child.