A Japanese nongovernmental organization in Thailand is seeking help for an ailing 18-year-old Thai girl, as funding for the costly medical treatment she needs to stay alive is rapidly drying up.
Five years ago, Bangkok slum dweller Chintana Kongmun underwent extensive surgery, receiving a heart and lung transplant from a 5-year-old girl who died in a car accident.
Although the risky surgery was successful in lengthening her life by several years, she needs constant medication to suppress her immune system so that her body does not reject her new organs.
Chintana has lived in a Bangkok slum since birth.