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Juan Suwanchatree, 44 years old, became afflicted with a rare tropical disease known as the Lymphatic Filariasis, in which his one of her legs began to swell into a massive part two years ago. Her husband cowardly abandoned her when she had the disease, which forced her to use all of her little savings for treatment, the Daily Mail reports.
In order to support her family, the mom of two children had to make her kids leave school and work on a rubber tree farm under child labor. They were also tasked in taking care of their mother.
Luckily for them, a man named Mr. Bhin who goes around the country to help poor and sick people. Bhin gave Juan around $600 so that she can get herself treated at a local hospital.
Juan said, “This all started as a small lump on my leg which grew. I went to a doctor who gave me medicine to put on it but it didn't work and the swelling just grew and grew. I tried some herbal medicine but that didn't work either.”
The cause of the enlargement of her leg may have been caused by water retention. When her children are out in the fields working, her elderly parents come in to take care of her. Even though Bhin had given her money, that won’t be enough to cover Juan in the long run.
Bhin said, “I have given her 25,000 Thai baht but she will need more help later to continue the treatment. Maybe people who see her plight on social media will want to help too.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms.It affects over 120 million people worldwide. The disease occurs after people are bitten by infected mosquitoes over several months or years. Most people have no symptoms.
Some people will suffer fluid collection and swelling due to damage to their lymph system. There is no cure. Infected people can take a yearly dose of medicine, called diethylcarbamazine, to kill the worms in their blood and prevent the disease spreading.”
The whole thing on her leg weighs at least 56 pounds. She had been dealing with it for two years now. Her condition escalated when her husband had left her. Thanks to a local philanthropist, she could now get herself treated for the first time at a local hospital.
