Life's Passion

Everybody should have a passion, instrumental in discovering a meaning in life. I found my passion working as a newly qualified doctor in Limpopo. I volunteered for the HIV clinic that was just being started up. This was before South Africans had access to HIV treatment, in the days when HIV was a condition that meant certain suffering, death and the inescapable loss of hopes, dreams and the future of young, vibrant personalities.
It is there that I learned what I like to call the ‘power of panado’ – the ability to provide simple solutions: medications like paracetamol, information on good nutrition and supplements, a listening ear and a warm hand; and to transform it into powerful healing and soothing. I learned about holistic care. I saw people who were dying and helped them to die with dignity and grace, but I also raged at the frustration, knowing that there was potential life changing treatment available, but only to those with money.
When the South African ARV Roll out began mid 2004 I was there to roll out the red carpet, and have been treating people ever since – the infected newborn baby whose mum’s worst nightmare has come true; the pregnant mum who wishes to protect her baby from HIV and be there to see her child matriculate; the father who is fighting to remain healthy so that he can work and support his family; the widow whose family has been destroyed by HIV.
The message I carry is one of hope and encouragement. Over the last 20 years we have seen HIV go from a death sentence to a chronic disease with a normal life expectancy. And, I want that transformation to come to all South Africans – those diagnosed with and living with HIV, and those caring for and are affected by HIV. Namely, you.
This website is about support, understanding, encouragement and hope. This website is about South Africans, about South African issues and South African peculiarities of the HIV epidemic. There are plenty of websites out there, but one has to pick and squeeze the appropriate information for the South African living with HIV, because the websites are almost all foreign.
To the Western world, TB is a scary and uncommon disease – here in South Africa, it is incredibly common, and in fact loves to piggy back on HIV and cause disease here. To the Western World, drugs like D4t (Stavudine) are reserved for salvage regimens because it has been replaced by less toxic drugs – here in South Africa, if you are attending a state clinic, D4T is the most likely drug you will receive.
In the Western World, HIV + pregnancies are few in number, managed with triple therapy and anxiously monitored. Here in South Africa, where approximately one third of pregnant women are HIV+, we deal with enormous numbers of pregnant HIV positive women every year – one doctor in SA can see as many pregnant women in one year that an Infectious Disease specialist will see in a lifetime in America.
That’s another issue: in the Western World, HIV is treated in specialist centres by Infectious Disease specialist physicians. Here in South Africa, we do not have the luxury of treating all HIV positive people in specialist centres. We are looking at a nurse driven roll out programme in order for the enormous demand for care to be met.
So, how is this website going to work you may ask. Well, this is a humble start – to spread the word, to let South Africans know that there is a place for you to turn to. This site will give updates and information that is relevant to you sitting in your home in South Africa. It will have an online support group (a work in progress) which you can participate in and remain as anonymous as you like.
It will give you access to experts in the fields of HIV medicine, chronic diseases related to HIV, lifestyle and holistic care, counselling and social support, and the best experts of all; those who have live with HIV every day. Above all, it is there to reach out to you and into your home, to the privacy and comfort of your own space, to allow you to meet and share your stories with likeminded people. No stigma, no strings attached.
I would love to hear from you, whether its questions, suggestions, criticism (constructive please) or simply your thoughts, put them down, send me a mail, or comment on the blog. It’s all about expressing yourself. If you have a story that you’d like to share, let me know, I am interested in your personal stories, your experiences, your triumphs, and your personal growth – let others gain inspiration from your life. Share it.
In addition, we will be bringing special offers and getting some sponsors on board to help the site grow and establish itself as the first port of call for HIV support.