I cannot wait to stand on my new legs: A teenager’s journey of hope and recovery after Myanmar’s earthquake

When La Wun Khin closes her eyes, she can still picture the mountains of Kyauk Me, her hometown in northern Shan State. Those peaceful memories feel like a lifetime ago. Conflict forced her family to flee to Mandalay in August 2024, where this 17-year-old continued her Grade 11 studies in their rented house—a small refuge that felt like safety.  

Then the earth shook.  

"I heard the noise first," La Wun Khin recalls, her voice soft but steady. "Then everything went dark."  

Trapped beneath rubble for more than 12 hours, her legs were crushed under the weight of what used to be her family's sanctuary. Her 15-year-old sister and grandfather survived with minor injuries, but their grandmother didn't make it out alive.  

At the hospital, doctors told her the unthinkable: both legs had to be amputated. Two months of surgeries and recovery followed, each day a test of strength. “At first, I thought my life was finished,” she admits. “But slowly I began to believe I could start again.”

"I want to become a makeup artist," she shares, with surprising brightness. Traditional education no longer calls to her; instead, she's chosen vocational training – a path that speaks to her creative spirit. Her wheelchair has become her vehicle to independence, and she moves through her days with a grace that belies what she's endured.  

With UNICEF support through local partners, that belief is turning into reality. Her father, Ko Myo Myint, recalls how cash assistance became food and medicine, while home visits from physiotherapists prepared his daughter for the prosthetic legs that will restore her mobility.  

"The support has been invaluable," said Ko Myo Myint. “We lost our home to conflict, then again to the earthquake. Starting over twice has been almost impossible — that’s why this help feels like a lifeline for us.”

Sleep doesn't come easily to La Wun Khin. For months after the earthquake, nights brought sleeplessness and memories she couldn't quite grasp. Even now, when aftershocks rumble through their new home, instinct takes over and she moves toward the door, her body remembering danger.  

But daylight brings hope. Her father and aunt work alongside visiting physiotherapists, learning techniques to support her rehabilitation at home. Her mother works in Yangon to support the family, while friends and relatives visit regularly, filling their home with laughter and positivity.  

"I cannot wait to get outside and travel again," La Wun Khin says, her eyes lighting up as she speaks about her prosthetic legs. Her first dream is beautifully simple: to travel with her family, to reclaim the joy of movement that the earthquake took away.  

Ko Myo Myint watches his daughter's recovery with amazement and quiet pride. In a family that has faced displacement, tragedy, and loss, La Wun Khin's unshakeable spirit has become their beacon of hope, including dreams of returning to Shan State when peace allows.  

Her story continues to unfold. With each home visit from UNICEF partner physiotherapists, each day of preparation for her new legs, La Wun Khin writes the next chapter, one that promises movement, creativity, and the kind of resilience that transforms tragedy into triumph.  

*This story was originally published on the UNICEF Myanmar website.