Despite 'love and care', doctor still spreads HIV among villagers

 The focus for today's post is on Kuu Mau (pictured above). He is the head of his family. Like many of the other people in his village, he also has contracted HIV. As a HIV sufferer himself, what saddens him most is having to witness his 15 year old granddaughter also being diagnosed with the virus.Their home was scarce meters away from the house of the unlicensed doctor who allegedly brought the virus to the Commune. 

Mau knew this doctor personally for many years, so he was especially surprised to hear that he could be the reason for this tragedy. In his own words, the unlicensed doctor “always treated his patients with love and care”. 

Mau’s granddaughter Kaeu Nita (pictured below) is currently living in a shelter home run by the Catholic Church in Battambang, where her welfare is guaranteed as she continues to focus on her studies.

If you can support this cause, click on the link below and go through the various fields. At the bottom of the page, where it has a box for you to give a bit more information, please mention this post and indicate your contribution is for the village in Cambodia. Tell them 'David in Brisbane sent us'. And thanks, on behalf of those inadvertently affected by this awful disease.

https://www.catholicmission.org.au/donate

 

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Unwitting HIV victims need our help

This is being written on a morning when the world watches in horror as Nepal, a place of mountain ranges and mystery, is rocked by the after-effects of a devastating earthquake. I am writing this blog entry, mindful that there are many calls on the hearts and hip-pockets of people, like you the reader, to give. However, I want to draw your attention this week to a country in the same region, but slightly to the south. 

This week, I would like to introduce you to a number of people from a small village in Cambodia. They won't make headlines but they need our help, as badly as the families affected by the natural disaster in Nepal. They won't have people advocating for them, like the pair waiting to be shot in Bali, but they have each been unwittingly afflicted with a disease that could, potentially, be a death sentence.This is their story.  

Monday, April 27 - In the beginning of November 2014, Laom (pictured) started preparing his rice fields for planting. After a few days of working long hours in the fields, he felt weaker than usual and decided to visit a private clinic in the city for a check-up. The doctor took some blood samples and Laom was diagnosed with HIV. His initial reaction was one of denial, defending that he had never behaved in an inappropriate way and could not understand how this was possible.

He was so ashamed of this diagnosis that he could not face telling his family and instead went to speak with the village Chief and later to consult with the head oaf the village health centre. They both advised him to seek a second opinion on the diagnosis in the Provincial Hospital. The second blood test came back positive again and after receiving this news, he went home and told his family. They supported him from the outset and it was decided to that all of his family members should take precautionary blood tests themselves; Out of his immediate eight family members, four have also tested positive with the virus.

If you can support this cause, click on the link below and go through the various fields. At the bottom of the page, where it has a box for you to give a bit more information, please mention this post and indicate your contribution is for the village in Cambodia. Tell them 'David in Brisbane sent us'. And thanks, on behalf of those inadvertently affected by this awful disease.

https://www.catholicmission.org.au/donate

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Families provide strength and support

A man donates some money to a charity, as a way of expressing his gratitude for the support his place of employment provided to him and his family, while his wife battled terminal cancer. It may sound complicated but the simplicity of this gesture is truly inspiring.

Earlier today, I had the privilege of addressing some of the colleagues and other people at this particular place of employment. The man - whom I have met previously -was there too. My role was to simply say thanks: thanks to him, for the donation; thanks to those he worked with, for the support they provided; and thanks, on behalf of those who will benefit from such generosity.

In expressing my thanks, I drew on the imagery of family. The place of employment was one family; the husband, wife and son they supported was another; and the people who will benefit from the support were all part of the global family. It's a powerful notion because, like any family, when one person is suffering, all members suffer. When someone is sick, or hungry, or impoverished, or persecuted, we all have to deal with it and carry the load.

But that's the strength of families isn't it? When one is up, others are there to share the joy. When someone is down, others are there to lend support and concern. Whether we are brothers or sisters, parents or children, our strength lies in our unity and being in relationship with one another. As Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's once said: "None of us is as good as all of us."
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