Since many of our long-term patients returned home due to successful treatment in August and September, there was little activity in October. Throughout the month we have had one six-month-old girl who has had surgeries for a back tumor and another 10-month-old receiving treatment for a brain tumor. The babies are accompanied by their mothers who have participated in our English language practice. Also taking part in our practice on October 21st was a worker from the Child's Dream Foundation, Miss Dao. One of the English language sessions this month with the mothers and a patient is shown below.
Another patient who has been at the house now since mid-September with tumors on his neck and nose. I am very happy to report that he will be going in for his final surgery this coming week. Although he has very few English language skills he has taken to our practice sessions with intensity, writing down his own transliteration of English pronunciation in his notebook using the Burmese alphabet. When he goes to the hospital this week he will be joined by a new patient, an 11 year old boy who has extreme eyesight problems and is here for corrective surgery.We are preparing for a relatively large influx of new patients to begin November and expect as many as 10 new patients next Sunday.
We are working with the new CMIRC Interact group from Chiang Mai International School on a project to paint the front wall of the B.K. Kee House, including the hands-holding-hands logo of the Burma Children Medical Fund in the design. The second part of that project will be to provide artwork on several of the panels that remain untouched.