By Dr. Pasquine Ogunsanya | Executive Director
“I had a boyfriend I spent close to 4 years with. He was HIV positive but never shared his status with me.”
Jackie, now 29 years of age, found out she was HIV positive just over a decade ago.
“My journey started with fevers, never ending coughs and flues. My skin began to scale, and I would itch both when it was cold and when it was hot. My boyfriend often asked me if what was happening to me was witchcraft.”
Jackie received calamine from the hospital which soothed the pain, but she still didn’t know what she was treating. One day Jackie and her sister decided to go to a clinic to check and at least rule out the option of HIV. When the doctor arrived with the results, he asked me if he could have a moment alone without my sister and I agreed.
“When the doctor said that I was HIV positive, I saw my life flash before my eyes. I pondered on what would become of me, I thought I would die that very night in my sleep,” she narrated.
Jackie experienced most stigma from her family members, the very people she hoped would support and walk with her.
“They gossiped about me. It bothered me so much and at one point, one of my sisters couldn’t stand being in same space as me, let alone share any utensils.”
Jackie begun to receive the ARVs and swallowed them with the goal of staying alive and one day having a child of her own. “I found this good-looking young man who went on to become the man in my life at the time. We were in love and from that love came my son Raymond. My son under the care of Watoto Child care ministries received treatment from Alive Medical Services, but I received my treatment from another health facility.
“I got to know about AMS when I came to pick my son up after a long day at a different health facility. I bumped into one of the counsellors “Mummy Julian.” She saw how depressed I was and asked to have a word with me before we set off. That was the turning point in my life. Someone to be interested in me and how am doing, listening with no reservations and only interested in what I have to say. I had never experienced that anywhere. I had been to many health facilities, but AMS was different. I understood why my son loved the place.”
“They gave us food, water purification supplies and they celebrated us being clients. Who does that for you?” Jackie wondered aloud.
She hadn’t taken her medicine in over 6 months when she came to AMS and her viral load was high, but Mummy Julian encouraged her and told her that she had more to fight for and that they were to walk this journey together.
“Today I take my medication without any hesitation and help my son take his.”
“It’s because of AMS that am still alive. It’s because everyone here plays their part and looks after each one of us, that me and my son are still breathing. I do not take for granted the phone calls that remind us of the next appointment and I look forward to the visits.”
Thanks to generous support from donors like you, Jackie now looks forward to raising her son and living a long and healthy life.
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