Debt To The World

Tuesday this week I spent two hours in the morning at the Victory Church sorting clothes donations. Then Becky picked me up and we went to the home (shack) of Zoe (not her real name) and her mother. Zoe is HIV positive and has final stage AIDS. She is frail, extremely thin, basically bedridden and can’t walk on her own. She is also suffering from some serious infections on her neck, open sores that will not heal due to her almost non-existent immune system.

Becky was asked yesterday by one of the Mercy Clinic nurses to pick up Zoe and take her to the clinic so they could clean her wounds and check on her condition. Zoe has only been a patient there since the New Year and tested positive for HIV in December. She knew she had HIV prior to this but didn't tell anyone. Now its seems she is likely too late to hope for recovery.

It had just begun pouring rain; the dirt path leading to Zoe’s shack was muddy and full of puddles. We came into the doorway and saw that Zoe was ready to go to the clinic except for her slipper-clad feet. She attempted to find shoes and put them on and was able to barely manage with her mother’s help. Becky and I helped her out of the doorway and with one of us under each of Zoe’s arms we helped her navigate the muddy path and avoid puddles. She lost her shoe a few times (it was a slip on), but we managed to make it to the car without much incident.

We drove to the clinic and helped her slowly into the waiting room. We had an appointment, but the clinic was very full... After forty minutes we were seen by Sister Fisher, a nurse. She explained that they don’t have the supplies to clean Zoe’s wounds, so I suggested Becky and I go pick up some supplies from the Pharmacy. We did that and returned to the clinic, only to wait for another half an hour. The doctor had arrived by then and he asked to see Zoe. He did a quick check up on her and took a little peek at her neck infections. He explained that they were unable to change her bandages in the clinic because they can’t put other patients (who also have weak immune systems) at risk of infection. They don’t have the proper supplies for cleaning wounds and such for this very reason and must keep the place safe and infection free. He also mentioned Zoe’s prognosis at this point is not good; the best we can do is try to make her comfortable since she is unlikely to recover. She hasn’t taken her medications properly since she tested positive and has also been using medicines from the local Sangoma (witch doctor). She is only 33 years old.

Becky and I helped her back to the car, drove her home, and then I helped her slowly back to her shack with nothing really accomplished. This is reality. Zoe will have to somehow visit the hospital to get her bandages changed.

On Tuesday afternoon when I got home and sat down on my couch in my flat, I felt so lucky and blessed. I live in a clean and safe place and I take it for granted. I think its all too easy to take what we have and are blessed with for granted. We tend to look upwards and compare ourselves to those who have more than we do. But if we truly look at what reality is for a LOT of people in this world (I think about 1/6 of the world lives in poverty), we will be SO thankful for what we have. How much might this world be changed if we never let this slip from our minds?

I feel like I live with a debt to the Father and the world for the blessings I have. It isn’t a heavy or guilty feeling, more like a motivation to make life better for others since I have been given so much. Do you live with a debt to the world? Or are you simply living for yourself?



ARVs


The Mercy Clinic