Wednesday, May 6, 2009

It is with us all...lets face it positively

By Chiku Jere

This story tells how HIV and Aids got closer to my life, both as a journalist and an individual.
“I got infected because of the loving and caring I gave to other infected people,” my late mother confided in me, at a private mother-to-son talk. She got infected at the age of 70. ‘That old?’ one would ask- ‘Yes, it sees no age’ would be my answer.
Indeed I saw my mother bravely and positively battle with the disease for two years until she lost the fight last year on 1st December.

Her sickbed was a counselling room for all of us, her remaining children and other relatives, who came to visit her. She did not stop advising us on the trends of life, and the way we can pull them towards positive course.

While talking, in her eyes, you could see the strength of a hopeful woman, who was facing the reality of her ailing health with courage. She was still the joyful and God fearing woman I had known. She did not want anyone to show a gloomy face because of her ill-health.
“God, I’ve tried my part and I know you will reward me,” she could say with a smile, wanting those who were present to say ‘Amen’ in acknowledgement.

And this could bring a smile of contentment on her face. She would not mention of death but a pass-on; a pass-on to the land where good things were expecting her after a job-well-done on earth.

“I’ve done my job and yours is remaining,” she could tell me, as someone on whom she would pass the responsibility of looking after those who depended on her. Indeed, the whole job is left to me after her passing.

However, with her courage instilling words of wisdom, I look only for positive aspects of how I can positively face, and stand strong against the negative realities of this world.
Let me share with you how it all began.

HIV and Aids invaded our household as early as the 1990s.

My auntie, the only sister to my father, was suffering from incessant illnesses and needed someone to be close to take care of her. That someone turned out to be my ‘Mama’. It was traditionally an automatic responsibility for my mother to look-after her sick sister in-law.

Innocently, trying to play a good caring in-law she took the role whole heartedly. She knew what my auntie was suffering from for she was the one who had insisted of her having an HIV test amid denial from other relatives- which turned up positive. My auntie died under the care of my mom a year later.

However, her death was not to give anything for a breather to my mother. The disease was at her door step once again. This time it was my cousin; a son to my mother’s brother- my late uncle who died way back.

Once again, my mother took the responsibility of taking care of him after his mother (a wife to my late uncle) refused to take care of her own son. He lived for three years grappling, with the pangs of the disease until he exhausted all efforts and died of HIV and Aids related illnesses. He died very young at the age of 26. ‘Mama’ was the one taking care of this young man until his demise.

She thought it was done but she was wrong. Little did she know that the disease was moving closer and closer to her own home.

Mercilessly it jumped on her first born son. This was the last straw that was to mark the end of her tireless effort of being there for loved ones.

She now, was to be next in line. Mama, single handedly, struggled a lot to raise a family of five children, four sons and one daughter—effectively playing both roles as a mother and father.

For over ten years (1979 to 1989) that my father dad spent in jail as a political prisoner, she looked after us with the meagre monthly salary she was getting as a primary school teacher.

She managed to educate us until our father was released at the dawn of democracy.

Then the father died few years later heaping her once again with the job of looking after the children and some relatives.

As an old adage says “the love of a mother is greater than anything”. I came to believe this when my elder brother, the first born in the family, got sick.

There was some bad blood between my mother and my brother’s wife and my brother publicly disowned my mother.

But after sometime, my brother was sick and his wife abandoned him leaving him with a little boy-child which my mother took care of.

“He is still my son and I want to see my grandson,” she said.

She managed to trace my brother and brought him and the child back home. He was seriously ill with no one else to take him for medical treatment.

Mama’s fear was vindicated when my brother tested HIV positive. She strived to find food and treatment to, at least, pro-long the life of her beloved son. She could bath him, feed him, and stay all the way with him hoping and praying that his life would be spared.

All the way, my mother did not complain, but with that motherly love, did the job she strongly believed God gave her; thus to take care of the loved ones with real love.

The battle to sustain my brother’s life was sadly lost two years later.

Eventually Mama started getting unwell. She secretly went for HIV testing and when it was confirmed she was positive, she broke the news to the family. “This time, it is me,” this was what she said to me behind the closed door of her bedroom.

Mama believed she got infected while taking care of all the loved ones. “I do not regret doing that entire job. It was meant for me and who else?” she said.

God bless all those who place their lives at risk trying to take care of the sick.

But can’t the world find a way of protecting those who care for their loved ones infected with HIV and Aids?

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Your mother did a wonderful job...people like her are the unsung heroes who do a lot for their communities simply based on love and compassion. She has fought the good fight of faith. May the good Lord grant her eternal peace!

Unknown said...

Yes! So damn true @OVC! This type of mother is really hard to find in today's busy life! So from my side an applause for the lady.

HIV Treatment

Jessica L. Smith said...

I was a HIV-AIDS patient and I got it from cheating on my husband. It was sort of a payback but a week later I was told by a friend that the person who I cheated with had the HIV-AIDS virus and did not tell me. I was so stupid by not using a condom I thought since he was an old school friend he
was trustworthy. But I was wrong. I cried and cried. Two days later, I got a phone call from my friend and she told me about a person who is known by another friend, who can help me. I could not let my husband know what I was going through. I finally got his email address: spiritualherbalisthealers@gmail.com and I text this man my story and he replied me immediately saying i should be calm and told me that everything will be OK.I could not come to terms with what I was hearing but then I concluded it did not matter because I was so broken up I just needed help. I was going out of my mind literally. I was confused with what he was telling me, but I listened. He told me about some materials i need to buy that he needed to cast the spell and I said OK. I bought the materials to him, I sent down my picture to him and my positive result sheet and he replied me that i am going to be negative under 3days.I message Him every 2hours for 2day and I knew he thought that I was crazy but I did care I needed a shoulder. Behold, the third day he messaged me i should go for a test that i will be negative. My marriage could be broken
because of a stupid mistake and my life was on the line. I remembered when I was going to get the results of my re-test I called him up again and told him that I was going to get my results today and his reply was “so" and that everything will be as he explained. I knew then that he was getting tired of me calling him, maybe I was wrong. Well I got my results and the first person I
called up was him - again. As he said hello I started to cry and cry. I could not believe it. I was given a second chance in life.This man is a great spiritual HIV/AIDS healer,his healing spell on aids healing is very powerful .please brothers and sister, contact Dr Zuma zuk spiritualherbalisthealers@gmail.com

Jacob said...

Hi Friends I have launch New website special for Aids Day 2016 and World HIV Day Please check HIV Aids and also Aids Ribbon with some Aids Awareness Day Images
Aids Day 2016

Achima Abelard said...

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Laurie Hughes said...

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Unknown said...

I'm here to give my testimony how I was cured from HIV, I contacted my HIV via blade. A friend of my use blade to peel of her finger nails and drop it where she use it, so after she has left i did know what came unto me i looked at my nails, my nails were very long and I took the blade which she just used on her own nails to cut of my finger nails, as i was maintaining my names, i mistakenly injured myself. I did even bother about it, so when I got to the hospital the next week when i was ill the doctor told me that I am HIV positive, i wondered where did i got it from so i remembered how I use my friend blade to cut off my hand so i feel so sad in my heart to the extent that i don’t even know what to do, so one day i was passing through the internet i met a testimony of a lady that all talk about how she was cured by a doctor called DR Imoloa so i quickly emailed the doctor and he also replied to me and told me the requirements which i will provide and I do according to his command, he prepare a herbal medicine for me which I took. He message me the following week that i should go for a test which i did to my own surprise i found that i was HIV negative. He also have cured for all kinds of incurable diseases like: Huntington's disease, back acne, chronic kidney failure, Addison's disease, Chronic Disease, Crohn's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Fibromyalgia, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Fungal Nail Disease, Paralysis, Celia Disease , Lymphoma, Major Depression, Malignant Melanoma, Mania, Melorheostosis, Meniere's Disease, Mucopolysaccharidosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Dystrophy, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Alzheimer Disease and so many. Thanks to him once more the great doctor that cured me dr. Imoloa so you can also email him via drimolaherbalmademedicine@gmail.com or what'sapp him on +2347081986098.. God Bless you Sir.