The following was written by Donald days before his death, as requested by Gregg Campbell, co-founder of Pride & Purpose (the charity that Ulusaba operates).
A SHORT HISTORY ABOUT DONALD’S SICKNESS!
14 September 2003 was my second day of my employment at Ulusaba Private Game Reserve. It was summer, but in the middle of the night I started to feel cold. It felt like it was winter. I was bound to go knock on David’s room. David stayed next door, so I asked him for a heater because I could no longer stand the cold.
The following morning David gave me some money to go to the Doctor for consultation. The Doctor did not tell me what was killing me. He suspected Malaria, it was not Malaria. I came back to Ulusaba with a Doctor’s Note. I was not able to work until the day’s that was given to me to be off sick, came to an end.
I returned back to work but since then my life was shacking. Every time I had to be absent from work because I was not feeling well. I’ve tried Songomas, Private Doctors, but all that was unviewed or fruitless.
Then it happened one day after I went on Annual Leave I started to realize that my stomach was so big and very painful. Then I went to the Private Doctor, Dr V Hlatswayo at Hazyview. He helped me a lot, because he encouraged me to go the Matikwane Hospital.
“ADMIT & HUMBLE YOURSELFS IN ORDER TO GET HELP”
The Doctor and I agreed that I will go to the Hospital. When I arrived there I was bound to be admitted because I was in a bad condition. They took me to have an X-Ray, but the end result of that was that they did not find anything. They also did a blood test and still nothing, until they drained some of the water from my Stomach, my stomach was full of water. They send some to the Laboratory so I was just weighting for the results. The result was that I have TB PLEURA.
After the results I started to take TB Tablets where they gave me (Riffer 4 Four Tablets) and I must be honest with you these tablets helped me a lot. I did manage to gain my body weight again. I gained my appetite, but my condition started to get worse, after I stopped the Riffar Four. I took 5 tablets daily and changed to 2 tablets but it started again. I felt dizzy, loosing my energy and I was sweating a lot. When I went back for a check up I told them how I was feeling but they just didn’t take me into consideration. They were just doing their own things. I took the TB Treatments for almost nine months, until I went back for another check up for the last time, and then I asked them to do an HIV Test.
“MY PEOPLE ARE DYING BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
They conducted the test and after the results they told me that I am HIV Positive, but they cannot give me any treatment because they are still waiting for my CD4 Count Results, only then they can see what to do. They also said that they cannot treat me if my CD4 sells are above 300; they will only give me treatment if it’s below Two Hundred.
MY POINT OF VIEW
As far as I am concerned about this is that the Government are supporting HIV / AIDS to do their job of destroying the Nation, They told me that my CD4 count is above 300, which means that my system is still strong and that’s why they cannot help me. So I thought that is totally wrong. Why wait until my CD4 cells go down, before they’ll help me? Why can’t they make sure that the virus does not cross the boundary to go from HIV to AIDS?
I plead to the Government again not to ignore and neglect the traditional healers because it is only AIDS that you cannot cure. When you go to the Traditional healers they do help us. I am the witness of that, because I am taking a treatment and I can see change everyday. I have no longer a swollen stomach just because of this Herb that I am taking.
“BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EAGER TO HELP BECAUSE GOD WILL GIVE THEM WISDOM”
Because of everything that I have experienced during my sickness and until now, I know what is killing me, I feel like I can Rise & Shine. So that people can know the truth and the truth can set everyone free. It took me time to decide whether I should do the test or not. Because I was scared that if they told me that I’m positive I’ll start to worry and people will laugh at me. But I must tell you that now as I know my status I’ve accepted it. I forgave myself and asked God for forgiveness and I have put everything behind me as I’m coming from X to next. I’m very bold & strong to live with it and I’ll never die as a Coward, but as a Hero.
By the way I’m a song writer who writes about HIV and Aids so I had to know my status so that I can practice what I preach. I just want to be an example, especially in our area as it is a rural area and the people are still scared to expose themselves. The virus will spread all over, if we hide it from others.
Let us work together as one, to be proud of ourselves and have the same purpose in order to defeat our enemy. This is not a disease but it is a war that is in Africa, aiming to destroy our continent. I’m pleading to everyone who can read this message to consider it and come out with something to help the nation.
I'm out Donald the affected one
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