HIV and Mercy

Last week Monday I was able to tag along with Becky and her translator/helper Primrose for their work in the townships. Becky is from Canada (Edmonton) and has been working in the township communities here for about five years. She works hard and is such a blessing to the people here! She helps people with legal issues (getting government grants, birth certificates and IDs, court orders, child protection issues, etc.), does health care related home visits to sick people (mostly HIV/AIDS and TB) and tries to help with anything else she can. Amazing.

After the weekly prayer meeting Becky has with her colleagues, we went into the townships for a few home visits. One particular home visit I will never forget. The home was in a field of shacks and in quite a dangerous area of the township. We don’t even take a cell phone with us (let alone a camera ☹) because people have been knocked out, stabbed or even shot for such things in the past. And if you do get into trouble in this maze of shacks, no one will (can) help you. They are terrified of retribution from the perpetrators, who will know who they are and where they live. So, we walk through this maze of ‘homes’ to a small shack with nothing particular or special about it. We are invited inside and are able to sit down on a small stool in the entrance. Inside is a middle-aged lady who is HIV positive. She has a terrible cough, either a chest infection or quite possibly TB, and is in pain. The other girl we are supposed to visit slowly walks up. Her name is Ntombi and she is obviously sick - thin, frail and dehydrated. She has an absolutely stunning face and a beautiful smile. She grabs my hand as we are introduced and doesn’t let go for the duration of our stay. Becky talks to both women through the translator, seeing how their ART is going (anti-retroviral therapy), how they are feeling, and if they have any issues or ways that we can help them. Both women have been somewhat delinquent with taking their ARVs (anti-retrovirals) and are not eating well or taking proper care of themselves (with HIV, proper nutrition and personal care will make all the difference to their longevity and quality of life). Becky tries to encourage them to seek help and stresses the importance of taking their medication properly. They promise to do better and we are able to pray with them before we leave. Their conditions may improve or they may not.

There are so many problems here, but help is increasing. Two years ago HIV patients in J-Bay townships had to travel to the next town for medicine and medical care (many people were unable to do this due to the cost of transport, work schedules, physical ability, etc). The Mercy Clinic opened in Pellsrus (one of the J-Bay townships) two years ago to serve that need and has been very successful. HIV patients have better access to medical care, medicine, and HIV testing. I was able to hang around the clinic for two days this week and have seen the difference they are making. There are a number of patients who are taking their meds and taking care of themselves; they have a good quality of life. For those patients, life expectancy is about thirty years. On the other hand, I have had interactions with other people who are not taking care of themselves and are sick, some even on death's door. There is a huge problem here with education and people not taking their medication properly (or at all). Some seek witchcraft and other help which is a very sad reality.

One particular man, age 40, came to the clinic for his first consult since he tested positive this past month for HIV. He is frail, thin, has full-blown AIDS and also likely has TB. My understanding is that many men here will not get tested and do not want to acknowledge they may be HIV positive. This might have been the case with this gentleman; he left his sickness for so so long before actually coming to the clinic. He does have a chance to recover, but the prognosis is likely not very good.

There is one other person I would like to tell you about, but will save it for the next blog. Please pray for these patients and also for those ministering to them. They need all the help they can get. I feeling so blessed to see, experience and learn and to have some tiny part in these people’s lives.