We first met Tun Lin Aung in December last year following a referral from the Mae Tao Clinic where he had been an inpatient for a short period. Tun Lin Aung had a road traffic accident in November of last year on the highway not far from the centre of Mae Sot. Fortunately on this occasion the driver of the car stopped and paid for him to attend Mae Sot general hospital where he remained in intensive care for over a month and was really quite poorly.
 

All the children who we are lucky enough to meet are special, but just occasionally one stands out. Aung Thu Phyo is one of these children. When we first came across him, he was just 5 years old and I noticed him because despite his severe spastic cerebral palsy, he was determined to make us sit up and take notice!

When we first came across Minge at the age of 7, abandoned by her parents, not only would she not talk to anybody, but  due to severe contractures at both knees and ankles, she could only get around by bunny hopping. Despite her anxiety, she tolerated our early efforts to let us help her and we could tell by the way she scrutinised everything that was going on around her, that she was a bright and determined girl. Now nearly 17, she is an inspiration to us all.

San Min is an 11 year old boy with spastic diplegia. He has a goal of improving his walking and he works very hard to achieve this every day. We’ve watched him progress from crawling to walking with a Zimmer frame, walking with quad sticks and is going to start trying with elbow crutches soon. His grandparents have always incorporated all of the advice provided in sessions into their daily routine. We’ve often joked that grandpa would make a very good
physiotherapist! San Min does home exercises to get stronger, stay flexible, work on his balance and also walks in the local community every evening to build endurance.