Support in Times of Despair: Keheala Team

It is time of the year when we pause to reflect on all the things that matter in life and to give thanks for the health and happiness of our families and loved ones. At Keheala, we are especially thankful for our dedicated and caring staff who make an immense difference in our patients’ lives and our community at large.

Mwathia (not her real name), a 14 year old girl who is HIV+ from birth,  was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) on 9th September 2018 and immediately started on TB treatment. Taking her ARVs and anti TB was so much for Mwathia that she not only decided to default her therapy but also dropped out of school. Support sponsors from Keheala counselled Mwathia and encouraged her to continue with her therapy in order to eliminate TB bacteria and other opportunistic infections from her body as well as educated her on the reality that without taking all her medicine, her immune system would continue to grow weak and opportunistic infections would continue attacking her body and making her feel worse each and every day. With support from Keheala, Mwathia decided to continue with her therapy and to verify treatment.

Mwathia’s father is forever grateful for the motivation, encouragement and support his daughter received from Keheala during her TB therapy. “I am very impressed with the teamwork, high level of courtesy, great interpersonal skills and team spirit that Keheala staff exhibit when attending to my daughter and this made her feel loved and cared for.” He said. “Thank you Teresa, Jill, Alice, Lewis, Faith, Moreen and Jacinta, for making a difference in my daughter’s life who has  been cured of TB because of your support and she has also accepted her HIV status, adhered to her ARVs therapy and is performing well in her education.” He added.

At Keheala, we are always there for our patients during their therapy because we know lack of knowledge about the disease, lack of motivation, low self-esteem, stigma and discrimination leads to poor drug adherence. By addressing these barriers at the beginning of patients’ therapy, we not only ensure patients adhere to their drugs but we avert preventable deaths, improve treatment outcomes as well as ensure patients live a quality life.

-Edwin-