That's my grandson, Joseph. He's the son of my daughter Elizabeth, who died in 2003. He's five years old, and HIV-positive like me.
Joseph wasn't born with HIV. When he was four months old, his mother was having a relationship with an HIV-positive man. She was breastfeeding Joseph at the time. Later on, when I took my daughter to be tested and the result was positive, I decided to take the child, too. He was two years old. In 2005, Joseph got measles and his CD4 count dropped.
He had to take ARVs, too. I give him his medicine in syrup form: he gets a half dose by syringe, morning and evening. Most of the time, it's he who reminds me that I have to take my medicine!
He's in the third year of school now. He always wants to study and often says he wants to be a doctor or a priest! But he likes playing football in the street with the neighbourhood kids best of all. [© Denise/MSF] |
Go to Forum >>0 Comments