Mone’s Typhoid Miracle

“Her chances for survival were slim, but our dedicated doctors and nurses designed an aggressive treatment to help the child.”

When a little girl name Mone arrived at Lao Friends Hospital for Children a few years ago, she was feverish, extremely weak and unable to eat.

Mone’s condition was difficult to diagnose, but tests soon led doctors to conclude that she suffered from a rare form of typhoid which caused encephalopathy, a type of brain damage.

Her chances for survival were slim, but our dedicated doctors and nurses designed an aggressive treatment to help the child. She was given nutrition through feeding tubes and the staff physiotherapist worked to restore the motor skills of her arms and legs.

Mone remained hospitalized for a month. She was sent home, but returned to LFHC after developing aspiration pneumonia. After another week of hospital treatment, she returned home once again.

Mone’s recovery has been astonishing. Last year, she ran in our annual Luang Prabang Half Marathon and finished with a smile on her face.

She walks to school and is so enthusiastic in class that she wants to answer all the teacher’s questions. During exercise classes, she often shows other students and friends what to do.

At home, Mone enjoys helping her mother with all the housework chores, including the cooking. She also helps the family harvest local forest food and sells it to people in her village.