We have a patient at the unit currently who has blown me away with her amazing spirit and tremendous courage. Her name is Slindokuhle and she is 18 years old. She is HIV+ and recently was admitted after a bout with meningitis. The meningitis not only left her weak and very sick, she also lost her vision completely. It is not known at this time if the vision loss could ever possibly be regained. She has now been blind for about a month. Each time I look at her or speak with her, I realize that she is living in fear. She, understandably, is terrified to take each step, to be by herself or when someone approaches her quickly.
HIV/AIDS is a horrible disease for so many reasons. Not only has Slindokuhle been sick and in pain, now she cannot see the world around her. This wonderful, young, vibrant girl now lays in bed with all her independence taken from her. I have been blessed to get to know her in the recent weeks. She is funny and kind. We are in the process of ordering books on tape for her which I think will be wonderful. Also, she just finished training for her ARV’s. Last week, I asked her if there’s anything she’d like to do to get out and have a little bit of fun. She told me that she’d love to go and walk around the mall. We spoke and we’ve made plans to go next week! Details and maybe a picture to follow…
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