Fadil is six, and absolutely adores music. He is often seen with his toy guitar, singing and dancing to a tune. He lives with his parents in a rented room (measuring four by five meters) in a crowded area of north Jakarta.
Fadil has been sick for as long as he can remember. When he was first referred to Rachel House a few months ago, he was seriously underweight for a child his age. The continuous chest infections combined with the violent coughs that kept him and his entire family awake at night, made healing impossible. Other immunity-related ailments that continue to plague him made it difficult for him to keep food down. On her first visit, Fadil confided to Rachel House’s Nurse Rifa that what saddens him the most was that he had to miss school; he missed being with his friends, and playing with them.
Fadil’s condition is monitored by a specialist immunologist at the National Hospital in Central Jakarta. However, getting to and from the hospital has become impossible for Fadil’s family since his father was involved in a serious traffic accident, which rendered him unable to work. Losing the sole source of income, the family now relies on whatever little savings they had to cover their daily meals. Without visiting the hospital, Fadil could not get his medicines and was getting sicker and weaker.
Since Fadil was admitted to Rachel House’s service in November, Nurse Rifa has been working with his family to make sure he gets the medical care and attention he needs to heal. A key part to this is making sure that he gets to the hospital to see the specialist and, vitally, to access the medication he needs. Thanks to the generosity of Rachel House’s donors and the Hospital Transportation Fund now available to Rachel House’s patients, Fadil has been able to return to the hospital for his regular check-up, and he and his family have been able to have their meals and transportation expenses paid for (patient and family often go without food while they are at the hospital, which could take an entire day).
Having access once again to his doctor and medications, with Nurse Rifa’s regular home visits to closely monitor his condition have made all the difference to Fadil. He has started to put weight on – eating everything that is put in front of him, especially his favourite Bakso (meatball soup). The chest infection and coughs have now cleared. Happily, he has now returned to school, his biggest wish fulfilled. Now whenever Nurse Rifa visits, he would sing and dance with her, to share his joy!
Things are looking brighter for Fadil and his family – thanks to the generous support of Rachel House donors and the dedication and commitment of Nurse Rifa.
