The most difficult cases...

Jaqueline is a mother of three sons and three daughters. She is married to Ambrose Osiolo, who works as a night guard at one of the bars in Limuru. Both Jaqueline and Ambrose tested HIV-positive in February, 2009 and joined the CARE for AIDS center at Imani Baptist Church during the next month. Jaqueline and her youngest son, Brian (also HIV-positive), had been in and out of the hospital, and they both spent most of the next two months at Nazareth Hospital. Because of cultural beliefs, both Jaqueline and Ambrose refused to take ARV’s or give medication to their son, and he died a month later in June. At this point Jaqueline was dealing with extreme weight loss, chronic diarrhea, itchy skin, and mouth thrush, and her husband was convinced she was going to die, even to the point of trying to take her home to die with her extended family.

In August, Jaqueline’s condition became so bad that she agreed to go to the hospital with the CFA staff. Rosemary and Kevin started taking her to all of the hospitals in the area, where they discovered that she had been a previous patient and a defaulter at multiple hospitals, which refused to take her back as a patient. Because of the nature of the drugs that HIV-positive people take in Kenya, if someone "defaults" on a treatment plan, or doesn't take their drugs properly, the medication ceases to be effective, and a hospital will usually stop treating a patient. Due to Rosemary’s persistence with hospital administrators, though, one of the government hospitals in Tigoni took on Jaqueline as a patient in September. With the constant attention of Rosemary and the hospital staff, she has been able to properly adhere to the treatment regimen since then. Over the past four months a marked increase in Jaqueline’s health is evident, and both she and her husband are committed to properly taking their medication and living a healthy life.

Before she agreed to return to the hospital, both Jaqueline and her husband made a decision to accept Christ with Humphrey’s help at the center. They still struggle to reconcile some parts of Christianity with their cultural tradition, but they have become loyal members of Imani Baptist Church. Jaqueline was even baptized into the church in October. She has also registered as a member of an ongoing support group for the women clients from Imani, and both Rosemary and Humphrey are optimistic about the future of Jaqueline and her family. Now that Jaqueline is in a better place physically, she is ready to start a project to supplement the income her family receives from her husband's work. With Rosemary's help, Jaqueline has prepared a business plan to start a small vegetable stand and is in the process of applying for a loan to open her "green grocery." Please pray with me that Jaqueline would continue to improve physically, spiritually, and economically, and that her whole family would reap the benefits of her hard work and dedication.

I believe this is an especially poignant story because Jaqueline really was in one of the most desperate situations possible. I have talked to nurses from Nazareth Hospital who are absolutely amazed at her improvement, and I think this story does a great job of showing how CARE for AIDS can transform a life that other professionals have completely given up on. I can't say enough how thankful I am for workers like Rosemary and Humphrey who will take on a client that others might deem "unsaveable," and then proceed to work tirelessy and selflessly, slowly watching their life transform before their eyes.