Keep a Child Alive

Meet Nicol: Blue Roof Wellness Centre

Nicol grew up in Durban, South Africa, where she was first introduced to HIV seven years ago, when her aunt revealed her HIV positive status to her family. Nicol’s aunt was very sick when she finally disclosed her status, and she died shortly after. Then Nicol began noticing similar symptoms in her older brother. He was incredibly weak when she finally convinced him to take an HIV test. He tested positive, and the doctors told him he only had two months left to live. At the time, it was impossible for Nicol’s brother to access the ARV therapy he needed most urgently. Nicol learned from the strength of her brother, who, even in his final days, responded to the concerns of people in the community with confidence: “Yes, I’m sick. I contracted HIV. I’m HIV positive.”

Three years ago, Nicol became very ill herself. She chose to go to the Blue Roof Wellness Centre in Wentworth, Durban to get tested for HIV, seeing it as a positive alternative to the stark hospital settings. Having become well acquainted with the symptoms of the disease over the years, she was not shocked to learn her HIV positive status. What shocked her most was when she approached the man she knew she had contracted the disease from. He was engaged at the time, and wanted nothing to do with her, also refusing to inform his family. Nicol adopted a healthier lifestyle to keep the disease under control, and most of her friendships dissipated when she stopped drinking. Her mother, Veronica, is the only member of her family who has stuck by Nicol through everything. Nicol’s mother has survived the premature deaths of three children, and Nicol is her sole surviving child today. “I believe that people should never give up on their children and their families who have HIV,” Veronica says. “I consider myself one of the most privileged mothers walking here. If God wants me to do his work on Earth, to care for the sick and disabled, so be it. Then when I get to heaven, I’ll have no work left to do.”

Nicol began her ARV therapy at the Blue Roof in January, and she says now that she feels healthier than she has ever been. However, Nicol was recently diagnosed with cervical cancer, and has been moved to a hospice for 24-hour care. Despite all her hardship, Nicol’s experience as a Blue Roof patient keeps her optimistic. “God has a plan for me,” she says. “He’s not letting me go anywhere. He is putting me through all these tests because he wants me to come out and be a better person. I want to let people know about HIV. I want to be successful in life with this HIV and cancer and let people know that it is not the end of the world. Yes, I can achieve.”

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Stay connected with the Blue Roof Wellness Centre: http://community.keepachildalive.org/profile/TheBlueRoof

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