Ai Long’s long wait is over!
When the Burmese-Thai border opened again in March 2023, the very first patient to come for surgery in the cleft program here was our beloved Ai Long! He is now 7 years old; he’s started kindergarten in Northern Wa State in NE Myanmar but has been waiting desperately for a cleft palate repair all these years. It was such a happy reunion!!
Ai Long had successful cleft palate surgery on March 11th, 2023, and is enrolled in the online speech therapy program in Myanmar which will begin in the next few weeks. He also had some revision of his lip and nose to make him even more handsome!
I continue to be so thankful and blessed by the cleft team from the Chiang Rai YMCA and Overbrook Hospital as well as Transforming Faces in Canada who fund the surgeries.
Mekong Hope also paid for an MRI of his kidney showing multiple, large kidney stones – quite rare in children. Ai Long does get frequent pain from these so we are looking at options for how to remove these large stones.
I was able to drive Ai Long and his amazing uncle back to the Burmese border, till next time!
