Stillamissionary

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Medications and misgivings

I am way behind on the story of my sister-in-law's search for AIDS medication.

My sister-in-law went back to Labé, where she heard that AIDS medication could be had in Mamou, a town about a third of the way back to Conakry. She took the money that Salimatou and some of Salimatou's nieces in Europe had gotten together for her and paid a Labé doctor to drive her to Mamou and help her to get to the right people and get medication. He took all the money, but left her in Mamou with only the taxi fare to get back and not even any money for meals. Afterwards Salimatou said that he "did used to drink some".

Despite the lack of help from this doctor, my sister-in-law did get to the clinic in Mamou and learned that she can get the medications right in Labé. I guess she has started taking the medications.

I wish I could trust that this is being handled properly. My sister-in-law and Salimatou fixated on AIDS medicine until she got some. I tried to get copies of the AIDS tests she had sent to us here in the US, but as soon as it became apparent that we weren't going to get her any medicine here, my sister-in-law stopped making any attempt to get those to us. She is ashamed that she may have AIDS and she told us not to tell any of the other missionaries in Labé about this. My plan was to have her go to one of them and see if they could help her send the test results to us in some way. Her fears killed that plan. I have talked with her and tried to encourage her and to tell her not to be ashamed when we talked by telephone, and it certainly helps her to talk with Salimatou and another sister-in-law in Labé, but I fear she's still carry far too much of the burden by herself.

I wish I was even certain that she really has gotten a definitive answer as to whether she is HIV positive. I am not at all certain that she has. I wonder what this "free AIDS medicine" is and whether it's worth anything at all. I hope for now that she is NOT HIV positive and that the medications she taking are worthless placebos that at least make her think she's more likely to be feeling better soon.

Salimatou told me tonight that her sister sounded real good the last time they talked.

Knowing the poor by name

Last week one morning I spoke by phone with a man I knew when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mbanza Ngungu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1985 and early 1986. He is now a high school teacher with a master's degree. He earns $5 a month from the government for his efforts. He'd like some financial help, whatever I can give.

 

I have a lot more money than this man does, yet I myself know where almost every dollar is going these days. I haven't found an extra $50 or $100 to send him. Even when I do, I am afraid I'll end up paying Western Union about as much as he gets.  

 

A couple of weeks ago I made a list of Africans I know who could use some financial help from me. I had over 10 names without thinking hard at all. Knowing this need and NOT having any quick way to deal with it does weigh me down.

 

This is why I went first to Central and South America traveling and then to Africa with the Peace Corps and later with CRWRC. I wanted to know the poor by name. Today I do not find it very comfortable. This is where I am supposed to be, though. We shall see where it takes us.

You get your picture on a wall!

My sister-in-law went to Conakry to see about an AIDS test and medication. The fear of what's going to happen to her weighs heavy on her and paralyzes her at times. She fears, too, that other people will find out she has AIDS and stigmatize her. When she went to the hospital in Conakry, an acquaintance told her that the money was gone and the medicine was gone. They could still test her, but if they did that and she was positive, they would just take her picture, and that was all they could do for her. "You get your picture on a wall with other people who have AIDS, " she was told.

 

She went to another clinic with a doctor from her own ethnic group and had a positive test for AIDS there, too. I suspect that this was just the same blood screening test she had in Labé, though, and NOT the confirmatory test she needs. She has gone back to Labé.