Kru (ครู – teacher) Somsak is a 53 year old teacher from Sanglkaburi, Kanchanaburi on the Thai/Burma border who has fallen ill on a recent trip to a local village. He is of Karen ethnicity living in Thailand due to the ongoing conflicts in Burma/Myanmar. Doctors initially thought he had consumed unclean water which made him sick. He was taken to Sangklaburi hospital where they made the assessment that they could not care for him there with their facilities. He has now been sent to Kanchanburi hospital (4 hours away) where he was put into ICU for further tests and high level care.
Further tests have revealed that Kru Somsak has cancer of the stomach/intestine (surgery removed as much as possible), low white blood cell count and his liver is at minimum function. He has been in ICU for 2 weeks already and cannot get further treatment as his savings have been exhausted.
Help us raise money for Kru Somsak’s medical expenses.
Kru Somsak has covered some medical expenses with savings so far, including ambulance transportation and surgery to remove some cancer from his stomach/intestine. Echo International Aid has sent emergency funding 15,000THB ($650) for a blood transfusion already but he is in need of more urgent treatment.
Kru Somsak is a teacher at the local school in Sangklaburi and earns apporx 12,000THB ($470AUD) per month to support his family. Without him they have no income whatsoever and no one to fend for them. Echo International Aid has been supporting Kru Somsak and his family for 2 years now. Nong Jen, his daughter, is one of the recipients for our citizenship support program. Echo International Aid support the family on a monthly basis through our community support program.
Kru Somsak needs extra medical treatment for these conditions which will cost 100,000 THB ($4000AUD). This will include the daily cost of 5000THB ($200) for ICU, treatment for low white blood cells and his liver condition. The funds are to be paid within 2 weeks or he will be sent home without treatment and this will mean he may not have much longer to live. With your support we can raise this funding and he can remain in ICU to receive further treatment. This will enable him to come to reasonable health and return home with a chance of some quality of life and support the family for some time to come.
