Good News Report: Maimed and Near Death, a Karenni Man Recovers
Karenni State, Burma
27 June 2023
Dear Friends,
Rifle and machine gun fire erupted as mortars fell around us. Right in front of us, I saw a young Karenni man named Francis go down. Francis had been shot, hit by motor fragments, and, as he jumped into a ditch for cover, stepped on a landmine. Bullets hit all around us as we watched it all happen. We ran to help him. The Burma Army had been firing mortars and machine guns and had laid land mines all over the town of Demoso, Karenni State, Burma. One of our Karen medics, Joseph, along with Doh Say and a volunteer, Jon, helped drag Francis’s body out of the kill zone. We carried him into an abandoned house where Joseph worked on stopping the bleeding and keeping him alive. We had to treat him quickly so that we would not be surrounded by the Burma Army.
Once he was stabilized, we put him in a blanket and carried him through backyards and alleyways as fast as we could. As we ran, we radioed for a vehicle, which arrived on the edge of town that the Burma Army did not yet control. He was transported back to a hospital that’s hidden in the jungle to avoid Burma Army airstrikes, and treated there. I remembered as he left I wondered if he would survive. His right foot and lower leg were blown off, his hamstring and right buttocks were torn away and gone. He had shrapnel in his right upper arm and we didn’t know about internal injuries. We prayed he would survive.
That was on 10 February 2022. A year later, on 16 February 2023, we met Francis again. We were doing a Good Life Club program when Doh Say came and said, “He is here! He is here! Thank God, Francis is alive. Did you know that?!“ I turned around and it was Francis! We hugged each other, with smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes.
He said, “Thank you for saving my life that day. I’m getting better and when I get the ability to walk on this artificial leg, I will go back to help my people at the front line.” He smiled broadly, and added, “I’m OK! Don’t worry about helping me too much, help the others first. Look at all these displaced people, let us help them together. Thank you so much for what you doing to help them, especially the children. When I see the children at this program with you, it makes me happy. Thank you so much. We are in this together.”
Thank you all for praying for Francis and please pray for a future for him, for all that he needs personally, and all that his people need. We thank God we can share this with you. There are pictures and a short video below.
Thank you and God bless,
Dave, family and FBR
Below are monthly reports of Burma Army activity in Karenni State during March, April, and May: