July 2018 Update

We recently had our July Maipelo clinic, which was quite busy as usual. Thankfully, several volunteers with different areas of expertise were there to see and provide care for the children, parents, and pregnant women that stopped by. Perhaps our most exciting news this time around was that we confirmed that two babies tested HIV negative!

One of the pregnant women who came to the clinic was Kayla, who looks like she is very close to delivering. She only recently started receiving HIV treatment, so we are worried about her not being on treatment for much time before delivery. After doing an ultrasound, we discovered that she is actually about 35 weeks pregnant - with twins! Hopefully she will have a few weeks more before her babies come so that she can continue to take the medication needed to prevent her babies from being born with HIV.

We also saw 30-year-old Esther and her infant son Timothy. Unfortunately, Esther had never been able to get HIV treatment before coming to Maipelo clinic, so Timothy is at risk of contracting HIV. This week, we started Esther on medication in the hopes that her health will improve and that Timothy’s chances of becoming HIV-positive will decrease. We sent off an HIV test for Timothy, so we will know more in the coming weeks.

Finally, one of our patients Tariro called us to request that we assist his girlfriend Amanda with getting medication. While Tariro was working during clinic hours, Amanda consulted with our volunteers and reported that Tariro won’t use condoms, and that she last tested HIV negative about a year ago. In other words, she is an ideal candidate for PrEP to help ensure that she remains HIV negative. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure Amanda remains healthy.

All of the life-saving medication provided to these children and parents would not be possible without the generous support of people like you. We hope you will consider donating, or passing along our story to you friends and family. Thank you for stopping by - until next time!