Shwe, who became an American citizen in 2018 and now resides in South Carolina, spent the last few days staying with the Kilborns and taking in all of the sights and sounds the community has to offer, including a trip to one of Marshalltown’s Asian grocery stores. Interestingly enough, when she came here the first time, it was well before an influx of Burmese refugees began to call the community home.

A member of the Karen ethnic group, she was born in the capital city of Rangoon, and her father worked in the U.S. Embassy there. At the time, the son-in-law of the late Bob Artley, a well-known political cartoonist and writer from Iowa, was the second ambassador in the country, and through this connection, it was suggested that Shwe travel to the U.S. and have her surgery performed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

She was only eight years old when she learned how serious her condition was, and Shwe’s mother was afraid about such an operation being conducted in Burma.

“The doctor in Burma said we need to get a surgery otherwise we’re not going to live, maybe X amount of years,” she said. “Our family is Christian, so the only thing we can do is pray.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Casey Shwe, center, is pictured with her mother, left, and the Kilborns’ adopted daughter Tess, right, back in 1990 when she came to Iowa from Burma to receive open heart surgery and stayed with Mona and Merrell for part of her trip.

The Kilborns came into the picture through their affiliation with Healing the Children, a nonprofit volunteer organization that started in Marshalltown and is dedicated to providing medical care for kids from other countries who are unable to receive it in their local environments. Along with arranging for donated treatments and procedures with hospitals, Healing Our Children volunteers also assist with lodging and transportation both before and after surgeries.

Because of the aforementioned Iowa connection, Shwe came to the Hawkeye State with her mother and ended up spending a few days with Mona and Merrell in 1990. The procedure was a success, and it solidified her desire to return to the States someday. She did it twice, first as a college student in New York and more recently as a naturalized citizen who works as a medical interpreter specializing in the Karen and Burmese languages for a large healthcare company.

In all, the Kilborns hosted 12 children in need of medical treatment ranging from open heart and eye surgeries to club feet and burns, and although they had a brief subsequent email correspondence with one of them from Ethiopia (and sent letters to another in Guatemala without knowing if they were ever received), Shwe is the only recipient they have reconnected with in person.

“We don’t travel internationally, but we feel like we’ve learned a lot over the years from all of the guests we’ve had,” Mona said. “We often would look up their country and their culture, and this week (Shwe has) cooked Burmese food for us. We’ve learned a lot from the program.”

For most of her life, Shwe had her sights set on living “anywhere but Burma” as the country has been in a state of civil war for over 70 years and is now ruled by a military dictatorship. She worked and studied steadfastly with the hope that the right opportunity would present itself someday, but she wasn’t sure when.

Three years working a job on a cruise ship turned out to be her ticket, and when she finally settled in the country, there were a few people she felt she had to see.

“I always had it in my mind, and I always think of the people who helped me. I always want to see them, appreciate them and tell them in person that they’re so kind. God first, of course, but then the people who helped me,” she said.

Although she was headed back to South Carolina on Tuesday (and returning to work Wednesday morning), Shwe hopes she can visit again in the future, especially with a brother now living in Storm Lake. Above all else, she’ll always be thankful for the kindness and hospitality she was afforded as a young girl so long ago.

“Inside my heart, I feel happy,” she said. “I cannot describe it with words.”

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Casey Shwe, center, is pictured with her mother, left, and the Kilborns’ adopted daughter Tess, right, back in 1990 when she came to Iowa from Burma to receive open heart surgery and stayed with Mona and Merrell for part of her trip.