Sickle Cell Anemia

Olivia and her concerned mother

The Kafwa in Kasompe took us on a very sobering home visit in January to see 25-year-old Olivia.  She was sitting up in a chair waiting for us but we made our visit very short since tears were streaming down her face and she was in obvious pain and having difficulty breathing.  When she looked up, her face was dominated by huge eyes that reflected deep pain. The Kafwa told us she had been diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia.  

According to the Kafwa, the family use to live in a "mansion" in town when the father had a good job.  He followed the siren call of entrepreneurship, however, and quit his job to start his own business.  Unfortunately, the business failed and the family lost their home and had to move to a very modest house in Kasompe.  They now have little or no income and the Kafwa are doing their best to assist them with emergency funds.

At the conclusion of our visit, the Kafwa got on their cell phones and arranged transportation for Olivia to be taken to the hospital. They said they had given the family money last week to take Olivia to the Dr. but she didn't want to go.  In their new circumstances, the family would only be able to go to the government hospital which they did not feel was as good as the private hospital they had previously used.  The money given to them last week was now gone since they had used it to buy food.  This time, the Kafwa arranged to pay for the transportation directly.

We're eager to hear an update on Olivia.  Hopefully she was able to be treated and have her pain alleviated.