Lyanaginga

I turned the corner for the last mile of my run and the children were waiting for me. Judith and David were on their way to school and this time David, the four year old, had a messenger bag. I knew he would never make it with his bare feet and the bag so I scooped it up, tucked it under my arm, and we were on our way. We were flying down the hill much faster than the day before picking up other children along the way. We even picked up a little girl named Emily. I am the only person that runs here, black or white, so there's been a lot of buzz in the neighborhood. They call me “the athletess”.

At the clinic, I have learned more than I could have imagined. Evans, the clinical officer in charge was amazing and became somewhat of a mentor. We continued to give quinine (antimalaria) injections and antibiotic injections each day. I also got to attempt an IV placement for a young child with severe malaria. The vein moved around like a little worm in the boy's hand and it didn't help that the needle had been bent in the package. Evans said the warped needle would have to do and ended up using his arm for the site. I can't believe we're practicing these procedures on these poor children that are already in so much pain but many of them don't even shed a tear.

I think the toughest part of this week for me has been the HIV testing. On day one, I saw a man with lesions on his arm undergo PITC, or Provider Initiated Testing and Consulting. The results came back negative. I have never seen such a smile. The next case was a young woman of 34 but looked about 42. She complained of a rash on her legs so again PITC was administered. She was not as lucky as the old man before her. Positive. I sat directly across the table from her while she became emotionless. No questions, not a word, and definitely no tears. I still can't believe they let me in the room. There were more infected patients at the week progressed but each one was just as difficult to watch.

There is, however, a large effort in the community to educate and break down misconceptions about the virus. We had the opportunity to speak to the community health director for the district that runs many initiatives including in-home information sessions on child bearing, hygiene, HIV, etc. Evans reminded us that HIV is not a death sentence but everyone should be tested, often, to get the necessary treatment to live a healthy life. So I stepped up and took an HIV test. Just like the patients, the doc pricked my finger, placed the drop on the test strip and added a bit of buffer. I sat watching and within minutes I got my negative results. That's always a good feeling. I can now officially say I'm HIV free, worm free (they dewormed me, even though I am SURE I wouldn't have such things to begin with), and amoeba free. Ahhh.