In Uganda, pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are becoming increasing threats to orphan child health. Many of these children are under the age of 15 and they get this disease mainly at birth from the mother parent. Many of these children do not survive mainly those that live deep in villages because of not having access to hospitals or clinics for proper medication.
Today we bring you Patricia Sanyu one of our HIV positive children that we take care of here at our orphanage. She acquired this disease from her mother during birth. Unfortunately when her mum knew that she was positive, she did not take the responsibility of taking her for medication and even herself she had abandoned ARVs for a long time.
Patricia says ‘All the time I used to be weak and sick and sometimes I would miss classes because of being weak but I did not know what I was suffering from. One day, Papa Ivan and my care giver took me to the hospital for a blood check up and the results came back but I was not told anything concerning the results.
They used to give me medicine everyday but I thought I took it because of my weakness and sickness that I always got.
It was until I made 10 years when papa Ivan called me and told me the truth that I was HIV positive. He counselled me, prayed for me and told me that with God, everything will be okay and I will get healed one day and I will get out this horrible situation. But it was hard for me to bear it. I count it as my worst day that has ever happened in my life. I regretted why I was born. I cried, and mourned because I knew this was a killer disease that I will never get healed of.
And as a child, I had lots of questions and at times I keep asking myself; for how long will I live? Why was I born positive? Will it happen for me to be negative like my friends are?
Sometimes when I get sick again, I start panicking and terror hits me but then I try to calm down a bit and try to convince myself that my case is different, that I will somehow survive. Still when the weakness resists then I realize that my case is not different and that am going to die. I try to make peace with that fact and begin to prepare for my coming death. I find difficulties with associating with my friends, always I feel like am not like them. They are negative and I am positive.
Though all such kind of thoughts come way, I try to convince myself that am not going to die, am going to live for a long to see that I also help my fellow friends who are positive out there. That’s what keeps me alive every day. I take my medicine every day with the help of papa Ivan and my care givers. And I know with God’s help, I will get out of this horrible situation one day.’ Says Patricia.
As we bring you close to the people that we serve, today take time to read Patricia’s story. An HIV positive girl who needs to be sponsored. You can support her life, education and her feeding.
