Every patient has a different story. And every home I visit tells a different story. For Adam, our 7-year-old patient living with HIV, his home is made up of cardboard boxes assembled together to make up the family’s living quarters. Located at a dumpsite, Adam shares the space with his ailing mother, his father, and a 15-year-old sister. His father is the family’s sole breadwinner, collecting used plastic bottles to be sold to recyclers for what little money he could earn. His mother’s health condition has been deteriorating recently, burdened by the HIV disease. This leaves his teenage sister as the primary caregiver for Adam.
Adam’s sister, who has had to leave school, is responsible for ensuring Adam and her mother adhere to their daily HIV medication regime. Whenever medication runs low, or when infections and complications mean they need to be taken to the hospital, Adam’s father would struggle to find the money to get them to the hospital. The harsh reality for the family is that transportation costs for Adam to get to the hospital would often mean that the family would have to go without meals for a few days.
Learning about these devastating challenges, I am relieved to be able to turn to the “Food and Transport Fund” Rachel House has been able to raise. The Fund is used to support our patient’s transportation and food expenses during their visits to the hospital. Adam’s father is so grateful for this financial support that offers him the peace of mind that his son is now able to access hospital care when needed. “It is a relief to know that my children can now safely get to the hospital for Adam to get the care he needs, and for me to know that they will not have to go hungry while at the hospital. I am thankful for the help given to support my family.”
As a nurse, I am very thankful to all our donors of this Food and Transport Fund that helps ensure that our patients are now able to get to the hospital safely for treatment. Equally importantly for me is also to know that our patients’ families do not need to go hungry while taking care of their sick children in the hospital.
If you would like to help give sparks of joy to the children we care for at Rachel House, please donate to support our work.