When I Met With HIV/AIDS Patients............. by A120090

Monday, March 30, 2009
When I Met With HIV/AIDS Patients
Wah the title so straight forward can? Hehe
Anyway, I've been wanting to talk about this particular post. CSSUKM group (Christian students) collaborated with the youths in Kajang's church to do a home visit to this home called Welcome Community Home.
It is a place for HIV/AIDS patients who, sadly, are rejected by their own families or who cannot support their own medication supplies.

I almost didn't go for the visit.
Gladly, I went and I didn't regret going AT ALL.

Situated in Batu Arang, it was an hour drive from Kajang.
But eventually, some of us got lost and that made it almost 2 hours and we didn't get to do the ice-breaking game :(
At last, we arrived. Hee
Upon arrival, we saw a patient practising to walk with a helping device. I can't describe my feeling at that moment. I was numb? ………



Welcome Community Home's building belonged to the British Colony when they invaded the Malaya. They used it as an office for their own administration.
It was then seized by the Japanese when they conquered the land. I am not sure what it was used for but I know that there is a remaining of a guillotine somewhere behind the building so you imagine la how many people had died near the place where we were standing at that time listening to the explanation from the manager of the home.

We didn't get to see it because that was not our main purpose of the visit :)

And soon after, it was given back to the British and they didn't know what else to do with it and decided to give it to a group of Catholic Sisters.

Long story cut short, it ended up as a home for HIV/AIDS patients.



Imagine people saying, "Welcome to Welcome!"

The place caters for 45 patients at a time and there are 33 patients staying there at the moment.
Eventhough it was the Catholics who rebuilt the home and all, they accept everyone regardless of what religion they are.



Can you imagine them eating 15 pills every time?

From the outside, the patients look like normal people. But inside, only God knows their sufferings and pains from the disease.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
The definition obviously tells that those who suffer from the disease have less or no immune system at all in the body due to the attacks of the HIV viruses.

In a human's body, there is a type of white blood cell called the CD4 cells. It is sometimes called the T-cells. These cells are the ones that lead the attack against infections.

The normal CD4 counts in a normal person are usually between 500 and 1600 (cells/mm3 of blood). Those infected with HIV virus, the CD4 counts dramatically decrease which leave them with 10 and below; in some cases down to zero.

So, even a minor pneumonia can lead them to death. It is a sad fact. :(
At that moment, I felt angry and helpless at the same time thinking that life is so unfair for some people.

The visit was definitely an eye-opener to me.
It made me realize that life is too precious to mess up with and those we need to appreciate it fully wherever and whoever we are.

And for once, I felt that I broke this barrier in my head telling that I can't go near HIV/AIDS patients when I shook all of their hands(no one excluded) before we left the place.
Don't worry, physical touch is always okay unless you or the patient have an open wound.
I THOROUGHLY checked my hands before k :)

Lastly, here are words of encouragement I found on one of the walls which I think is very deep and meaningful,

"Life doesn't stop until you take the last breath. Don't give up, don't lose hope and stay strong. Remember that you are not alone"