Just came from my morning out. Sat at 9am any children interested meet under a tree at the malaria campus for the little singalong/bible study/English/math lesson time. It’s usually complete madness but for some reason this week there were only 30 kids and so I felt like we could actually chat a bit. Sue one of the malaria researchers started it about a year ago, and there’s about 3 Zambian men/women who help her and then myself and any other random people visiting. We then all troop over to Sue’s place for fun treats made by her husband Pete. Today it was fresh baked bread, we’ve also had pancakes, cinnamon buns, coffee cake. (Can you tell I go for the food?!) Then I rush over to the hospital to meet my friend Mr. Muchimba (a 70 year old man) for my Tonga lesson. Today I learned how to ask “How long have you had diarrhea?” and “No, I’m not a farmer”. He’s a great old man and doesn’t seem bothered by the phrases I ask him to teach me.
Then I popped in to see this one guy who’s on the male ward. About a month ago I met him in the ART clinic. I think I have written about him before. His name is Steven, he’s 30 years old, just got diagnosed with HIV. About 3 weeks ago he started on ARVs, but he’s not doing so well. This week he weighed in at 28kg…61lbs. I heard he had been admitted and then asked to be discharged home, but one of the docs convinced him to stay. I’ve gone to say hi to him for the past few days…I don’t think he knows who I am, and since I can’t speak tonga that well I don’t really say much but I just feel like I should still say hi. Yesterday I asked my neighbor, Lloyd (a medical student who’s been here for the past few months) about him and he said he go check up on him. Then this morning Lloyd told me he wasn’t that well, that the nurses had moved him into the “ICU” (the bed beside the nursing desk). He gave him a bolus and fluid and started him on an IV, but he was incoherent. So I went to see him this afternoon, and he seemed to be doing a bit better. He was able to answer my 3 questions. His mom was there so I tried to explain that I was a nurse and just wanted to check up on him. They must wonder what I’m doing there, as I am wondering what I’m doing there. But I just prayed for him and then left. Lloyd and his family leave tomorrow, so I’m worried that I won’t be able to make anyone else go check up on him. But they tell me that people really do come back from that point, that’s why ARVs have the “Lazarus” Effect, and so I’m praying that Steven might be another Lazarus.