Devi is the eldest child of father Santo and mother Kamra. Both are Nepalese who came to work in Thailand about 13 years ago. His father worked as a laborer in a mackerel factory in Mahachai and earned 120 baht per day. His mother worked as a housekeeper and earned 2,500 baht per month. Currently, his father has moved to work as a clothes packer for export in Pratunam. His mother is no longer working because she has to take care of Devi and her youngest son. Devi was born at Lerdsin Hospital and was diagnosed with heart disease when she was 3 months old. This was because she got tired easily when she sucked milk and had cyanosis. Her mother took her for a checkup, and the doctor suspected that she had heart disease and sent her to Chulalongkorn Hospital for further treatment. The doctor diagnosed that Devi had heart disease and recommended surgery. However, she had to wait until she was about 2 years old and weighed 10 kilograms before she could have the surgery. During the time she was waiting for the surgery, the doctor scheduled her for follow-up checkups. In the beginning, it was once a week, then once a month, and then once every 3 months. Each time she went for checkups, her mother said that she had to pay for it herself. Each time, it costs about 2,000-3,000 baht with medicine to take.
Little Dewi is sick very often, has a fever, has to be taken to the doctor almost every week, and has symptoms of fatigue easily. When playing with friends, her mouth will be green. She has to sit and rest until she recovers. Her mother said that she always thinks about where to find money for her daughter to have surgery because Little Dewi has no rights to any medical treatment.
Little Dewi had surgery on November 7, 2013, in cooperation between Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation and Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital, without any expenses for her parents. After the surgery, Little Dewi’s symptoms are much better. She doesn’t get tired as often, her mouth, fingernails, and toenails are no longer green. Her parents are very happy that she will have a chance to recover and grow up like a normal child.
