Retreat Weekend for Sinikithemba Kids

Every second weekend of the month, McCord's Sinikithemba (treatment center) program has a support group for kids and teens. The support group run by the counselors (the counselors don't get paid for the time they spend on Saturdays with the kids) at Sinikithemba because they found that as the kids in the program were growing older, they were struggling with continuing on treatment because they felt different from their other friends. So the kids and teens come to support group so that they can spend time with HIV positive kids and teens and get support from each other.

This past weekend was the second Saturday of the month. But, instead of the kids and teens getting together to discuss issues, the counselors decided to have a fun month. So they took all the kids and teens to the pool (picture to the left is of the pool). Fortunately for me, I got invited to come along. In total there were about 60+ kids and teens that showed up. The kids swam and talked and just hung out. We had a braai (in the states it's called grilling or bbq) and plenty of fruit drinks to go around. It was a wonderful way to spend a bright sunny Saturday.

The whole time I was at the pool I was thinking about one kid in particular who I had met a week prior in the hospital wards. I meet him because he had been admitted due to a secondary infection and the doctors found out that he had stopped taking his ARV medication (anti-retro viral or HIV meds). The counselor that I work with was called to come and see the patient and to talk with him about why he had stopped taking his medications. The patients stay in the hospital was funded by Loving South Africa, because he doesn't have anyone who was able to pay for his treatment. In talking with the patient, we (Makhosi and I) found out this is the third time that he has stopped taking his medication. When we asked him why, he just said that he couldn't do it any more. He just wants to be normal. Shortly after stopping his medicine he got sick and was admitted to the hospital. We asked him if he was interested in starting the medication again and he said yes (we won't start treatment if the individual is not ready to start). We asked him if he meant it, because he has stopped taking the medication three times. He stated yes. We asked him is he understood that he would have to take the medication for the rest of his life, and he stated he understood. We asked him why he wanted to start back on the medication. His response was because he doesn't want to be sick any more.

This young man was 16, yet he looked 12 years old. This is why, the support groups at McCord are so important. This young man is not a special case. I personally can't imagine at the age of 16, adjusting to an ever changing body, emotions, and world, having take a handful of pills daily knowing that they are the only thing keeping me alive and well. This young man, is fortunate that he is at a hospital and in a program that is focused on holistically providing care to their patients. It would be easy to provide just medical care for the patient and tell him that he needs to get his priorities in place and start taking his medications again. It takes a lot more to organize support for a teen or child, knowing that it is difficult to live in a world were, even though nearly 50% of people have HIV, you are ostracize because you have HIV and it's not cool to take medications that are keeping you alive and well.

On Saturday, the young man came up to me and we talked for a few minutes. It had been a week since his hospital stay and he looked much better. With a fedora on, fo-Ray Bans (apparently I'm pretty cool with my $10 fo-Ray Bans as well), and blaring music from his cell phone, he committed in a soft voice that he liked that I had trimmed my beard (apparently the mountain man look isn't in right now). I imagined a kid in the States in a youth group coming up to me and saying the same thing. Just wanting to be normal and accepted.

Below is a picture for the Doctor's Consultation Room on Friday afternoon. What a beautiful picture of the coast and Durban.