Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Close Encounter

On my way from Dar es Salaam to Zurich via Nairobi, I was seated next to a Tanzanian lady who looked to be a well off. Her two lively daughters, teenagers, sat right behind us. The lady slept all night, wrapped tight in a blanket. When she woke up in time for breakfast before landing in Zurich, she opened up and told me her story...
She knew I was a priest, as we asked each other regular questions to help with better understanding of each other. I guess she found in me a person who could be trusted as we had a casual chat for some time, exchanging views on various topics. She showed me several pictures stored on her digital camera and then she revealed her sad story...

She told me she was Mchagga from Moshi area, living in Switzerland for the past twenty years, same time as me in Tanzania. She was married to a Swiss guy, had two daughters with him. She was left by her husband when she fell terminally ill four years ago...

She is AIDS victim... When she gave birth to her first child, she lost a lot of blood in delivery in one of Dar es Salaam hospitals some twenty years ago. She was given a blood, a blood infected with HIV virus. She did not know at that time that this was the case.

She gave birth to her second child. The child was born HIV positive. Mum tested for HIV positive either. She got sick, sickness developed fully, not so much in her girl. Then the husband left her, probably he was free of HIV. She recovered miraculously and since then she and her daughter are on ARV drugs (I noticed them taking some pills last night) and doing very well. I noticed them at the waiting area of the airport in Dar, as they were very happy family and joyful and no sign of any bad feelings or sadness... Same in the airplane...

Remarkable story of resurrection of hope and manifestation of life! I felt so proud and elevated with her story and so sad for the husband who showed to be a man of no morals and values (if the account of the lady was genuine!)...

No comments:

Post a Comment