Pieng Loung Post 2

Just down the street from Pee Bua’s house lives Sei Kyawo Zin Oo who has been in Pieng Loung for a short time.   Just a few months prior he became deathly ill; at this time he was living in Shan State, Burma.  When he visited the local clinic, they informed him they did not have the necessary medicines and encouraged him to cross into Thailand for treatment.   He arrived in Pieng Loung hanging limply from the shoulders of two friends who helped him during the cross-border trek.   Upon arrival in Pieng Loung, he was immediately sent to Pee Bua’s house.   She got him admitted to the Wieng Heng hospital and he is now one of the cases supported by New Life Foundation.   Sei Kyawo Zin Oo suffers from HIV and TB and had to leave his wife and children in Shan State to seek the treatment in Thailand.   On our visit, Pee Bua laughed that he was so thin when he arrived, and now he is fat.  Of course, that was a joke, but Pee Bua has this magical way of lightening even the heaviest of situations with her infectious laughter.  He looked very healthy and his spirits were obviously rising due to the immediate impact of the ARVs combined with TB medicine.   New Life is funding his HIV treatment, and a government-sponsored program called Stop TB is funding his TB meds.   He is responding very well to the combo of ARVs and TB meds and his doctor in Wieng Heng will monitor his progress for two more months before allowing his return into Shan State.    If his progress continues, the doctor has agreed to provide two months of ARVs so he can return to Shan State to work and be with his family.  He will return to Pieng Loung once every two months for a check up and refill of ARVs.   Sei Kyawo Zin Oo is very grateful for this plan as he is looking forward to returning to his family.