Wednesdays are our Jeevan Sahara staff review meetings - and the first Wednesday is the day we talk about what we did over the previous month.
There are so many stories to tell, but let's listen in on the lives of two women.
Annie Haokip was sharing about her home-based care team's experience. She told us about two widows that her mini-team of her and Dipika Das have been giving home-based care too. Both of the ladies in question are HIV. Both have been physically sick for a very long time.
One lady - we will call her Mrs. Tarala - was admitted at our JSK centre 3 times. She lives around the mountain in a place called Mumbra. In an appartment with many family members, but none to help her other than her teenaged children. Everyone else had nothing to do with her. Our staff and volunteers from our church started to help.
And help they did. Over the past few months our folks became family to Mrs. Tarala and her 3 semi-adult children. At one point they even did plumbing as the toilet had been damaged and no one was willing to help. Most of the time it was caring for Mrs. Tarala who was bed-ridden. The TB of the brain that she had been suffering meant that her quality of life was pretty poor. But she was loved.
In the last days before she died last week, our staff and interns visited her every other day. We know that though her life has slipped away, every loving and caring input that she recieved from the JSK family and church volunteers brought a smile to King Jesus' face - even as he shed his tears for the deep sorrow that Mrs. Tarala went through.
Annie shared about how challenging it had been to look after Mrs. Tarala - but how glad she was for the opportunity to do so, especially over the last month as Mrs. Tarala faded.
Annie also talked about Mrs. Indu.
Mrs. Indu had tuberculosis. And when she was admitted at JSK just over 2 years ago, we found out that it was a multi-drug resistant TB that she was suffering from.
After being discharged from Jeevan Sahara, our home-based care team followed her up in her home. It was hard for Mrs. Indu to take her medications. She was skinny and the MDRTB meds were many. Daily injections for 8 months. Multiple doses every day for 2 years. She seemed so sick. I thought she would give up. And so did she, but our team continued to meet and encourage her, cajole her, wheedle her back to taking her meds.
Last month Mrs. Indu successfully finished her 2 year course of medicines. She used to weigh just over 30 kgs. She has gained an amazing 20+. Annie and Dipika now have the happy task of encouraging her to mind her weight! Mrs. Indu also worships at a local church and has started work again.
Where would Mrs. Indu be without the love and care that our Annie and Dipika and others have poured into her. In a word: Dead. We are so grateful for how she has received various forms of shalom into her life.
Two women. Both lives touched deeply. One alive, the other alive in our memories. Both blessed.
Two women. Who go out daily to help people with HIV. We are grateful for Annie and Dipika - and the other 4 home-based-care mini-teams who are serving the 200 odd HIV positive friends that Jeevan Sahara has the privilege of working with.
There are so many stories to tell, but let's listen in on the lives of two women.
Annie Haokip was sharing about her home-based care team's experience. She told us about two widows that her mini-team of her and Dipika Das have been giving home-based care too. Both of the ladies in question are HIV. Both have been physically sick for a very long time.
One lady - we will call her Mrs. Tarala - was admitted at our JSK centre 3 times. She lives around the mountain in a place called Mumbra. In an appartment with many family members, but none to help her other than her teenaged children. Everyone else had nothing to do with her. Our staff and volunteers from our church started to help.
And help they did. Over the past few months our folks became family to Mrs. Tarala and her 3 semi-adult children. At one point they even did plumbing as the toilet had been damaged and no one was willing to help. Most of the time it was caring for Mrs. Tarala who was bed-ridden. The TB of the brain that she had been suffering meant that her quality of life was pretty poor. But she was loved.
In the last days before she died last week, our staff and interns visited her every other day. We know that though her life has slipped away, every loving and caring input that she recieved from the JSK family and church volunteers brought a smile to King Jesus' face - even as he shed his tears for the deep sorrow that Mrs. Tarala went through.
Annie shared about how challenging it had been to look after Mrs. Tarala - but how glad she was for the opportunity to do so, especially over the last month as Mrs. Tarala faded.
Annie also talked about Mrs. Indu.
Mrs. Indu had tuberculosis. And when she was admitted at JSK just over 2 years ago, we found out that it was a multi-drug resistant TB that she was suffering from.
After being discharged from Jeevan Sahara, our home-based care team followed her up in her home. It was hard for Mrs. Indu to take her medications. She was skinny and the MDRTB meds were many. Daily injections for 8 months. Multiple doses every day for 2 years. She seemed so sick. I thought she would give up. And so did she, but our team continued to meet and encourage her, cajole her, wheedle her back to taking her meds.
Last month Mrs. Indu successfully finished her 2 year course of medicines. She used to weigh just over 30 kgs. She has gained an amazing 20+. Annie and Dipika now have the happy task of encouraging her to mind her weight! Mrs. Indu also worships at a local church and has started work again.
Where would Mrs. Indu be without the love and care that our Annie and Dipika and others have poured into her. In a word: Dead. We are so grateful for how she has received various forms of shalom into her life.
Two women. Both lives touched deeply. One alive, the other alive in our memories. Both blessed.
Two women. Who go out daily to help people with HIV. We are grateful for Annie and Dipika - and the other 4 home-based-care mini-teams who are serving the 200 odd HIV positive friends that Jeevan Sahara has the privilege of working with.
No comments:
Post a Comment