Angels Dying of Aids

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It has taken me a few days to write about my recent experience at the Family Aids Clinic and Educational Services (FACES) late last week. You know you think you can prepare yourself to see sick children. You can’t.

FACES has been amazing in letting me spend time with their frontline staff and seeing the different areas of the clinic. Last week I worked with a community health worker on admissions for the clinic that day. Our job was to register the patients by cross referencing their files, filling in follow-up forms, and taking their vitals (temperature, weight and respiratory count). My partner and wonderful coach was Isaiah. I had to learn initially to stay within the boxes on the forms when filling them out- so the forms can be scanned by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). I was never that good at coloring within the lines either! (As an aside, Kisumu has the largest population of CDC folk outside of Atlanta. I am learning that this area is quite the research hub - both for HIV/Aids and Malaria. ) So once I passed quality assurance I found myself registering patients on my own. Isaiah was very patient with me!

We saw mostly mothers and their babies that day - in all cases both mom and baby were HIV positive. The moms were mere children themselves - and because I had their records - we are talking between ages 14 and 16 predominantly. Then Pauline arrived with her Mom: 2.5 months old, HIV positive, breathing very quickly and erratically, not alert and running a very high temperature - which I took... This little angel dressed in a pink party dress was in terrible distress, as was her Mom trying to get her help. We immediately rushed her to the front of the queue. And I was struck how matter of fact Isaiah and the staff were. I guess they see this all the time. I have tears in my eyes just writing this. I don’t know how Pauline is and whether she was able to be helped. I’ll be back at the clinic next week and a part of me is afraid to ask. But the memory of her haunts me and galvanizes me - this little angel dressed in pink, sick and dying from aids.

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Comments

[Ang]

heartbreaking
This made me cry and feel so guilty about all of the things I take for granted: health, wealth, a secure future. Keep circulating stories like this.

[Rob]

This is so sad
I can imagine the things you are seeing, but could never really feel what you are feeling without actually being there. Its so sad that with all the human races acomplishments we cannot put a stop to such suffering. All I can say is keep your chin up and keep the faith.

[Friday Coffee Barb]

Caught up in the wonders and mysteries of Africa
Hi Jan, I'm hungry for your blogs each day/week, thanks for sharing your personal adventure of discovery. It's one thing to talk about "wanting to help... make a difference..." you're doing it and on the front line. My heart goes out to the angle in the pink dress, as she represents for me the very heart and soul of Africa that is being claimed by AIDS. I'm moved by your willingness to give of yourself Jan. Thinkin' of you daily. Love Barb

[Ben Smith]

Building the Capacity to Deal with Such Unimaginable Situations
Jan, I can see you are already building your own capacity to help the people coming to the clinics. I just know by being involved in this way you will be begin to build your capability to make small differences and bigger ones as time goes on. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and helping us learn too. Ben