Last Sunday started by listening
to Pastor James who is visiting here from the Apostolic Faith Mission in Butha
Buthe, Lesotho share with me the story of Biko, named after activist Steve Biko. Biko was one of the foster children who lived
at the Thikuli foster home. He was a
young boy who died of HIV / AIDS at the age of 12. He was born with HIV through transmission
that took place at birth from his mother.
He was a boy on a mission and God gave him a passion to witness for
Jesus. James shared the story with me
how up to two weeks before he passed into the presence of His Daddy Father God,
he was sitting down with his principal and every teacher in his school to
challenge them. He sat down, leaned
forward in his chair, looked them straight in the eyes and said, “do you know
Jesus as your Savior?’. He wanted to
make sure that everyone knew his hope! I
share Biko’s passion for seeing people come to faith and God has blessed me through
my relationships to lead two very good friends to Jesus. I am so thankful for the “My Hope” campaign
of Billy Graham which was such an instrumental tool. We watched this one in particular. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyCtpoJFZSo
On Monday, I spent the evening
with my swimming buddies at MoMondays in the EBar located above The Bookshelf
on Quebec St. My swim buddy, Mike
Salisbury, oversees the event and does an amazing job. This month they partnered with the Guelph AIDS
committee to feature speakers as part of their AIDS awareness week events. I listened to some heavy and tough stories of
people who are dealing with HIV on a daily basis. I heard one lady share about losing her
husband in ’95 to HIV / AIDS and she is still here because they finally found a
cocktail of antiretrovirals in time for her. I listened to a man still living
HIV positive and now living a normal life 25 years later. I listened to a young lady share how she has
lived with both of her parents HIV positive from the time she was born. Miraculously she was born HIV negative. All of their stories had a common
thread. They or their loved ones were
told to get their “house in order” and prepare to die. However, they are still here, sharing their
story and hopefully as awareness and education continue will be the champions
of overcoming the stigma associated with this disease.
Last night I attended Bracelet of
Hope’s World AIDS day event at the River Run Center. Check out the highlights here.
During the event, Dr. Anne Marie didn’t
mince her words as she told us how her life was changed forever after
travelling to Lesotho with OHAfrica, a
medical team that helped open the first HIV and AIDS clinic in Hlotse,
Lesotho. She spoke about being an “Italian
mother” who was “pissed off”! She shared
how she came home and screamed about the injustice to her children, her family
and her community and they listened and responded and how the 1st
million dollars came in for this foundation.
She told the story of Makhauta,
one of the children in the Thikuli foster home that I had the
amazing opportunity to visit.
She shared about Andy McDougall
who is one of Bracelet of Hope’s workers in Lesotho.
"I put my hands on Makhauta’s small shoulders and asked if she was
well. She is not. The nausea has returned, and her feet and legs are swollen
and painful. They think it is the meds again.
They have her scheduled for a
checkup at the hospital next week. I have a really bad feeling about Makhauta’s
future. Not something based on fact, or
science, or something that someone has told me. Just a really dark feeling that
I could not shake throughout our visit today.
I am worried for her, and for my friends back home who know and love
her. But mostly I am worried for her
grandmother. ‘M’e Mamatseliso loves all
of the children at the foster home – it is so clear when you see her
interacting with them. But this is her
granddaughter. ‘M’e Mamatseliso has lost children at the home to death before.
And she has lost several of her own children, including Makhauta’s mother. She is such a decent, loving woman who does
what she does because of her love for kids. She doesn’t deserve this. But I
feel strongly that this is something that is coming into her life
regardless."
Then Dr. Anne Marie, whom I’m proud
to say is my family doctor share,
I have watched children die of AIDS, many of them. The trauma of it runs so deep that the
memories are seared into my brain where they have dramatically changed who I am
and what I do. I emailed Andy and asked
him which medications Makhauta was taking.
He headed back up the mountain to her foster home to find out. She was taking the typical third world
regimen, the cast off drugs no longer used in North America replaced now by
more potent drugs that are easier to take with few side effects. I knew that in two days, Bracelet of Hope was
sending a team of business people from Guelph to Lesotho. I also knew which medications Makhauta
needed. Three drugs combined into one
pill of which Makhauta only needs half.
I called the pharmacist we call Saint Danny and asked him if he could
get me a 4 month supply of this medication, Atripla. I would pay for it and
convince my colleagues to take it with them to Lesotho. Danny was in my office the next day, two
bottles in hand, a smile on his face with a look of firm resignation. There was no way he would let me pay for
them.
My colleagues did not hesitate to join our little initiative. Makhauta's new medications were tucked into a
safe place where they made their way to Lesotho and up the mountain to her
foster home.
Half a pill. Once a day.
And two weeks later, more words from Andy.
"She has been on the new medications since the day the team
arrived. She is feeling terrific and her
health is much improved. And to date,
Anne-Marie, none of the possible side effects you mentioned have appeared. She just feels great and is back at school
and busy being a regular kid.
It was then time for Pastor James to share and he spoke
about one man who shared how AIDS is like leprosy was even in the 50’s when
they had no cure, but now it can be eradicated.
Then he shared with Pastor James that it will be the same for HIV AIDS. Pastor James closed by sharing how God is
doing some great.
This is what Bracelet of Hope is all about and so my week
finished with great hope and expectation and why I am proud to be an advocate
for this organization. One country HIV /
AIDS free because of one city Guelph and we will be a model for all the rest of
Canada!
I am super excited that God also laid it on our hearts and
provided a way for us to go back to Lesotho, but this time with our whole
family along with our niece, Carla. We
will be working with the Apostolic Faith Mission in Butha Buthe, Bracelet of
Hope and LXP Lesotho from March 10th to April 6th. We can’t wait to discover what is in store as
we endeavor to be another piece in the puzzle for the mountainous kingdom of
Lesotho for the glory of God!
Some links to articles on HIV/ AIDs in Canada and Africa
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