Mi Tho's Smile Blog

Wonderful news on Mi Tho!  We are so happy to have received this exciting update.

Greetings from Taipei! The operation took about 7 hours, for her nose, lip and right eye repairs. The operation went smoothly, but now Mi Tho may feel uncomfortable especially the ribcage, because the doctor used her own rib to rebuilt the nose.

We were amazed that Mi Tho’s appearance changed so much when we visited her yesterday.

After such a long operation, she looked tired and was quiet yesterday. We could image the wounds on her body and face cause her painful.

Dr. Lou told us about 5 (or more) days Mi Tho could leave the hospital, and one more week stay in the village. After returning to outpatient clinic to assess her condition stable, she could go home. Therefore Mi Tho and [her chaperone] may return to Myanmar on the second week of April.

Thank you so much for continuously praying for Mi Tho and the operation. I think God listens our pray.

Though the surgery is finished she will have recovery time then will return to Myanmar for further recovery and then back to her village…so we are not finished yet. She is also in some pain as the surgery was so invasive…though we all are excited with the results and look forward to seeing her smile.

Her journey has been remarkable and  is still ongoing…from her little fishing village that was destroyed in Cyclone Nargis to Taiwan and soon back.  Mi Tho is already touching lives in Taiwan and will do even more so in Myanmar and beyond. This was an effort that a lot of people helped make happen and thru your gifts and prayers you were one of them.

I will keep you updated ~ Mike

We just got an update from our partners in Taiwan regarding Mi Tho’s progress! Here’s what they had to say…

Thanks for your concerns, we are all fine. This earthquake hit Southern Taiwan, and luckily only minor damaged reported.

After operation… Mi Tho is quite good, except her diet condition. The nurse concerns her small diet amount may cause her poor nutrition, and suggests to stay longer until Monday to take more care.

Therefore, Mi Tho will be discharged from the hospital on Monday, 8 March, and she and [her chaperone] will move to the village, the same place to stay as their first arrival days. Then if the condition getting better, Mi Tho will go back to CGMH having her second operation on Tuesday, 23 March.

Mi Tho is a good girl, and not only NCF but many staff of hospital like her very much. Also, [Mi Tho's chaperone] takes good care and loves her so much which touches us.

I will show you more pictures of Mi Tho on the following days and update you more news then.

Thank you all for keeping Mi Tho in your hearts and minds. Sounds like she is quite an angel! We’re blessed to know her and are grateful for your help in getting Mi Tho the support she desperately needs! What a beautiful example of compassion aid!!

Just got an update from Mike!  Here’s what he had to say…

Mi Tho is in Taiwan and has met with her doctor and staff.  As you can see from the pictures she is getting a lot of attention.  This is wonderful.  More than ever I feel she is in skilled and loving hands.

Here is the latest from our friends at Taiwan:

Greetings from Taipei! Yesterday Mi Tho had a busy day doing many clinic check-ups, and one treatment. She had speech analysis, orthodontic check-up, ENT, hearing test, X-ray and CT scan. She repaired four permanent teeth because the doctor concerned the bacteria on the decayed teeth would affect the recovery result of palate repair.

This morning she had her first operations-cleft palate repair and pharyngeal flap repair, started from 8.30am to 12.10pm. When she returned to the ward at 13:10pm, the nurse specialist took care of her wound on her bedside. Mi Tho is a brave girl and very cooperative.  We pray her recover soon.

I feel that there is something special about Mi Tho and that her story will have an impact far beyond what we even imagine.  Many eyes are on this girl and more people are watching her daily.  I believe she is going to be a catalysis for hope in many lives from her small village and beyond.

To date we have reached about $2200 of the $4000 we estimate is needed for Mi Tho’s transportation and post-op care.  Please consider joining with us in bringing hope to this beautiful little girl.

We’re going to change a life. Mi Tho’s life.

Mi Tho’s transformation will change a village and maybe even impact a nation. But to help her we need your help!

The following excerpt was written by Mike, a Global Hope Network International (GHNI) staff member heading up our efforts in Myanmar. Here’s what Mike had to say about the help & hope that GHNI and our partners are striving to bring to a beautiful little girl and her village (a medical group will pay for her surgery… we need help for her transportation & recovery).

“I have had the blessing of helping many suffering people through the years. Today I want to bring to your attention a young girl who needs your help. Her name is Mi Tho.  Mi Tho has a severe cranial deformity and cleft pallet. She is 9 years old, her father is a fisherman and her family is very poor.  Many children in her condition are left to die because of the amount of effort and cost it requires to keep children with severe deformities alive.

“As you know, in May 2008 cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar leaving over 140,000 people dead. Nargis destroyed Mi Tho’s home, her father’s business, damaged the surrounding land so they could not grow crops, and polluted their water supplies.  When GHNI responded to this disaster we looked for regions that were the worst hit and most isolated, where little or no other aid was going… Mi Tho’s village was one of them.  Through relationships with some of the locals we were able to help provide emergency food and put in wells for clean water.

“Many children in her condition are left to die…”

“One of our partners moved to Mi Tho’s village to assist for the long term. Once there, people began bringing him children who were either orphaned or from a family who could no longer afford to care for them. That was how we met Mi Tho. Our partner took Mi Tho in and wanted to help her but he did not have the ability, connections, or resources to do so. After a lot of work on the part of another dear friend we were able to connect with Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation, an organization based out of Taiwan that specializes in this kind of surgery.  They have offered to do the procedure and cover the cost!

“In Yangon Mi Tho’s lip was repaired but the cleft pallet and cranial facial deformity remain…. From the 1st to the 2nd picture you will see her lip has been fixed but the cleft pallet is not.

Our partners are now working out the final logistics to take Mi Tho to Taiwan for a second surgery. We need your help. We need to raise $4000 for her travel and living expenses to and from Taiwan and one year of care for when Mi Tho returns to Myanmar.  By helping Mi Tho we will impact an entire community!

Will you contribute towards Mi Tho’s surgery & recovery?

We need all the help we can get to help her. And all donations are tax-deductible.

(If you prefer to give via check, please make your check payable to GHNI and send it to 813 Menendez Court, Orlando FL 32801, and please include a note that your donation is for Mi Tho).

We will keep you updated on Mi Tho and her village right here! Subscribe to this blog to get these updates emailed to you as soon as they are posted!

Just as The Boy Without Arms was able to get the help he needed thanks to concerned individuals all over the world sharing his story, please tell everyone you know about Mi Tho.

As Mother Teresa once said, “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

Thank you!!