Gerrald and Lita

“My name is Gerrald and my daughter Lita is 25 years old. She started getting sick in July 2019, so we took her to the hospital. There, she was tested and found to be HIV positive. When we heard about the results, the first thing we had to do was learn to accept it.

She was advised to start taking antiretroviral drugs immediately. But when she was discharged, she went back to her husband and, unfortunately, stopped taking the medication. As a result, she started getting sick again. I was really devastated. She is my first-born child. She made me a father and defines who I am.

Before we came to the hospital, Lita couldn’t walk without support. If she went to the toilet, we had to hold her. They had to drain the fluids from the stomach and she couldn’t sit down. But now there is a great improvement. She is able to walk on her own without any support.

Lita and her husband are separated now. He left her the moment she started getting sick. He abandoned her. Together they had three children, but the eldest and the third-born passed away. In fact, the third-born child passed away in September this year. The second-born, who is three years old, is alive. I want to bring her here to the hospital to be tested, so that we know if she is HIV positive or negative.

When Lita is discharged, I will make sure that she doesn’t have to do any heavy household chores. I will provide all the necessary support and love.

She will not default on her medication again, as I will be around. I’ll make sure that when she wakes up, I’m there and she takes her drugs. The same with the evening dose; I will make sure that before she goes to sleep, she has taken her drugs.

Lita

“I’m not feeling well at all. The challenge is that, if I eat something, my stomach balloons. I miss a lot from home – I miss my daughter and the food.

When I go home, I will take my medication every day. When the medication is finished, I will go back to the health facility for the refills.”