About

About Air … in addition to being a resilient 7 year old Akha hilltribe girl who loves riding elevators (mirrors a plus), playing hide and seek (although she hasn’t mastered staying quiet yet – happy squeals), and taking big supported steps (she is eager to walk). Air has a diagnosis of Post-encephalitic Cerebral Palsy following infection with Japanese Encephalitis at the age of nine months. She is cared for by her dedicated single mom, Yupin, and has an 9 year old sister, Paerwa. The girls’ father abandoned the family while Yupin was pregnant with Air.

Over the years, Yupin has done her best to care for her daughters as well as her mother who has Parkinsons disease with dementia. Their village is 4 hours from the Provincial hospital, Nakorn Ping, that is equipped to provide for Air’s special needs. Staff at the hospital nearest her village have told Yupin “if she loved Air she would not continue to seek intervention as Air was not going to develop and have a meaningful life”. Air has a history of recurrent respiratory infections that have required her to be placed on a ventilator and transferred from the local hospital to Nakorn Ping.

Yupin has shared that as Air’s healthcare needs increased she was growing tired and she prayed that God would send someone to help her family. In May of 2018, an American Missionary team visited Yupin’s village with a Pastor who had grown up and still had family there. The team was led by a family who had called Chiang Mai their home for many years. Yupin felt that her prayers had been heard. Help was on the way…

Air was ultimately connected with the Rajanagarindra Institute for Child Development next door to Nakorn Ping Hospital and a growing network of support has developed both in the Expat and Thai communities. This support initially included repairs to the family’s home in the village, financial assistance with diapers,  formula and transportation for specialty appointments/therapies as well as participation in a family retreat for those affected by disability. Yupin is unable to work outside of the home and has relied on the government disability payments totaling 800 THB per month (approx. 50 USD, 35  CAD, 23 EUR) for her family.

In July of 2019, Air again developed pneumonia this time requiring 3 months of inpatient care with multiple hospital transfers and repeated ventilator usage. Her condition was critical and for a period of time DNR orders were in place. The community that had formed around the family made arrangements for Air and Yupin to live in Chiang Mai upon discharge so they could be near their support system and the specialty care Air so clearly needed.

Yupin and her girls are thriving in their new environments.

PLEASE follow this Blog for updates on the family’s journey