Support HIV/AIDS Treatment for Kids in China

Dear PATS Supporters,

We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  We hope that 2013 brought you joy and prosperity, and best wishes for the year to come.  We couldn't have done it without you!  In 2013, we raised more than $11,000 USD Gross (not even including matching donations from GlobalGiving or participating employers) from our GlobalGiving supporters, which included friends, family, and many supporters from around the world that we haven't met.  We thank all of you for your generosity, it is with your support that we can continue on our mission to help our kids in China have happy, healthy childhoods. 

Now for the update:

We have continued our regular calls between PATS Board member Dr. Jessica Haberer, and the PATS workers in China. Initiated in December of 2012, these calls are a time to discuss specific issues related to the children, such as possible drug resistance, changes in drug regimes or doses, and behavioral challenges with regard to medication adherence. The workers have been eager to continue with these calls and have benefited greatly from Dr. Haberer’s advice. In fact, Dr. Haberer has been a key advisor in determining the drug regime of a former PATS child (turned employee), who is HIV-positive and just had her first baby. With Jessica’s help we are happy to report that this baby- a little girl- was born HIV-negative!

PATS Profile  -  XueYan

XueYan is13 years old. She is regularly in a good mood although she is quiet and shy. Despite being a bit introverted she enjoys playing with her classmates and is overall a happy girl.  She is living with her aunt and is thriving there. Sadly, XueYan's biological father is working in Shanghai and rarely calls home which is hard for her; however, her sister called during the Chinese New Year which was a source of great excitement. Her aunt's daughter is working out of town so she doesn’t get to see her too often either, but her aunt has a son who works nearby so he is a regular visitor. The PATS health workers report that this sense of family has been very important for XueYan and she likes it very much when her cousins visit.

XueYan's adherence with medication has been good, although she has on occasion missed a dose of her medication. The PATS workers understand that her new “mom” is new to caring for an HIV-positive child so they regularly refresh her mom’s education about the importance of adherence to ARV medications. They ask her to regularly remind XueYan to take her medicine, but she pointed out they don't sleep in the same room so sometimes it's hard to be diligent about the reminders.  XueYan said she may forget her medication because she goes to bed early some nights and forgets to take her meds. The workers told her she needs to get her water glass ready immediately after dinner and she shouldn't go out to play or to bed right after dinner in case she forgets to take the medications later. So far this has been a good way to help her remember. We train our workers to think creatively and solve problems with the family on a case-by-case basis. These seemingly mundane details bring tremendous amount of value to the well beings of the children.