I am fundraising for my long-time friend Soe Htet Win from Myanmar, a developing nation in Southeast Asia. She is a stage 3 cancer survivor. Her chances of surviving that operation and her life expectancy afterward were meager; however, she beat the odds and had been cancer-free for over four years until recently, when she was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Soe Htet has done much for her local community in Myanmar and on a national scale. In 2013 the United States government selected her for the IVLP - the International Visitor Leadership Program, and in 2014 the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars awarded Soe Htet with the "Women in Public Service Award." She had been invited to many international conferences and advocacy workshops to share her work on empowering women to become political leaders and public service sector officials. Soe Htet had also encouraged women in these positions to take part in decision-making in the national peace process and had trained them for these roles with the previous democratic government before the military coup. She was a member of the advocacy group designing anti-domestic violence laws in Myanmar and organized its first International Women Leaders Conference.

Apart from her personal achievements, Soe Htet is a selfless and caring person who has helped orphans and families in need. She has always found ways to help people with her private funds or raise money for them. She had personally supported over 23 children to attend school as well. During that time, she and her three friends had helped over 100 women entrepreneurs access financial & digital marketing on social media. She is a good listener and always finds ways to encourage others.

Despite her current situation, she is still faithful, thankful, happy, and positive. She still jokes, serves, and cooks for others. Very few people know she can’t afford to pay for an operation or the after-treatment for her colon cancer. Financial instability and uncertainty due to Covid 19 and the military coup that occurred over a year ago in February 2021 confront many people in her own country. SoeHtet is no different. She had to close her own business due to these factors, and she has entirely depleted her savings on medical treatment during eight months.

Upon hearing the news about SoeHtet from our mutual friend, SoeHtet confirmed her diagnosis and decision to trust God. She believes God can either heal her or somehow provide for her needs. She can also accept it if it is not His will to heal her. Currently, given the political environment, only a few doctors remain in the country; many hospitals are closed; and as there is still a great need for medical advancement, she needs to go to neighboring Thailand to its government cancer center for affordable treatment.

I am hoping to raise $38,000 needed for her surgery, medical treatment afterward and travel expenses. We would genuinely appreciate it if you could donate; every dollar would help. Thank you so much for reading!

Update: More friends were able to donate to help her exit Myanmar with her airfare, Covid testing and quarantine requirements. She got a small NGO project that paid for her room and board and personal expenses, and the money from the Go-Fund-Me covered her diagnostic exams, which took about two months. The King's hospital, where she received her diagnostic tests, agreed to let her pay for her surgery and after-treatment in installments. (She had told the surgeon her situation that she had no more money and was ready to return to Myanmar.) Her initial surgery was successful. It turns out the doctors could not remove a large tumor located between the small and large intestines. The doctors are trying to shrink it with chemo. Many family members, friends, acquaintances, and kind-hearted strangers have continued support to make her day-to-day possible. She has more to go on this journey. Please consider donating. Thank you!