Han Mijin’s Wish

“I want to go to school and dance with friends……,” said 12-year-old Han Mijin (her name means “my beloved daughter”) who was leaning against the door and looking into the direction of school. She lives in Yunnan province.

“I have tried my best, but the dire situation of my family made me desperate,” said Han Mijin’s father with deep frustration. His sparse teeth and weary look made it hard to believe that this man is in his early thirties. Life has been too difficult for him. 

Han Mijin is from a family of six. Her grandparents are very old, her mother has epilepsy, leaving her father to take care of her and her younger sister alone.

Unfortunately, Han Mijin also has epilepsy. However, she never went to county hospitals and only consulted local clinic doctors. When she was around 2 years old, she became very sick with an illness that almost killed her. To save her life, her family spent a large sum on treatment and medicine. After that, she suffered from regular headaches that prevented her from going to school. 

For Han Mijin, the world outside her home is unfamiliar and even unfriendly. Since both she and her mother are suffering from epilepsy, neighbors have been shunning away from the family altogether. Due to lack of medical knowledge, local villagers assume that epilepsy is an infectious disease.

Han Mijin’s family never stopped seeking treatment. They consulted doctors and tried every therapy they could possibly find. But they could never afford a visit to big hospitals because of their limited income and piling debts. 

The World Vision staff role-played with Han Mijin's father to ease his nervousness and to prepare him to meet with doctors.

After learning of their difficulties through the Family Power programme, World Vision staff suggested to Han Mijin’s father to keep a record of every time the seizure hits, including duration, symptoms and frequency. The information would be critical when meeting with doctors. At the same time, the staff role-played with her father to ease his nervousness to prepare him to meet with doctors. Since he felt better prepared, he knew he would remember more information during the meetings with doctors, enabling him to take better care of Han Mijin. 

World Vision also paid for the medical visit fees and accompanied the family to the municipal hospital. After a thorough medical check, Han Mijin was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy, the most common type. The doctor later told her father that Han Mijin is eligible for a project offering free treatment to epilepsy patients. It was initiated by the county’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

When World Vision staff visited Han Mijin’s family again, she and her younger sister were learning Nahki dances in their traditional dress. “I no longer have headaches after taking the medicine. Now I can be as free as a fish to play and dance!” she said joyfully. 

Her father is just as happy, “Seizures now hit less and are shorter; I plan to send her to school when she makes more improvement.” Even more encouraging, Han Mijin's father also applied for free treatment for her mother. He feels much relieved now and finds hope in each step towards the future. 

Note: Family Power is a community caring programme supported by World Vision China since 2009 aiming to foster the comprehensive development of children. Through regular home visits by World Vision staff, families of the most vulnerable children are empowered to access the available resources and realize their potential to take better care of their children who required special assistance.

Han Mijin and her younger sister in beautiful traditional Nahki dresses, Yulong County.

Find our more about our programmes in China.