Mrs. Sashta (as we will call her) really doesn't have an immune system at all. Most healthy people have CD4 counts between 800-1300 or so. In her body, the HIV virus has systematically knocked out her CD4 cells - the key to much of her immunity - so that she is now open to any infection.
Mrs. Sashta has been going to the government hospital for a month. When she came here this morning she was so sick Sheba wondered whether to admit her at all.
But we did. Mrs. Sashta's relatives are tired. She is tired. We got some investigations done. Got the bed ready. Admitted her.
Sheba gave her a paracetamol (crocin or tylenol are the common brand names).
The fever is gone.
As of late night it hasn't come back.
This is more than medicine at work. We see so much hope in this poor woman's face.
We hope that she will be able to stitch back her life together. One night without fever does not mean all her illnesses are gone - but what a blessed relief for her to even have a small step at getting better. How much her relatives relish even this small bit of normalcy.
Love covers over a multitude of evils. A cheerful heart is medicine to the bones. A heart at peace brings life to the body.
Its our privilege to not only give medicine at Jeevan Sahara Kendra - but to also give love as well. And prayers. And hopes which are often against hopes.
We don't always have happy endings. We have a lot of tears. But some of them are tears of joy...
The next day:
ReplyDeleteMrs. Sashta is still sick. She has not been treated for so long. Prayers are needed for her to pull through!