Mother receives second chance at life with Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust
Nonhlanhla's recovery has been remarkable and she is now unrecognisable from the frail and emaciated figure that was carried into the unit back in July.
FOR the past five months, 48 year-old mother of two, Nonhlanhla Ngcobo has been fighting for her life in the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust’s (HACT) Respite Unit.
Ngcobo, from Kwadengezi, was admitted to the 24-bed facility suffering from advanced stages of AIDS and TB having defaulted on her antiretroviral treatment (ART).
When Ngcobo arrived at the unit, she was scared and weak.
“The doctor at the clinic told me I was going to die. I was so scared and so weak, I had no power left in my body,” she said.
Thankfully, Ngcobo was admitted just in time.
According to HACT’s CEO, Candace Davidson, Ngcobo’s recovery has been remarkable and she is now unrecognisable from the frail and emaciated figure that was carried into the unit back in July.
“The nurses here have been good to me. They have cared for me like their own family and have taught me how to take my pills every day,” added Ngcobo.
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With this year’s World AIDS Day theme focussing on building resiliency and widening the impact of community-based HIV prevention and education efforts, poor adherence to ART continues to be one of the biggest challenges HACT and others within the sector are grappling with on a daily basis.
“Despite South Africa having the largest antiretroviral treatment programme in the world, we still face major challenges in getting people to understand the importance of staying on their treatment or taking it correctly which of course is compounded by the daily issues of poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence and now the socio-economic upheaval caused by Covid-19. This in turn is leading to increasingly high levels of drug resistance and a failure to achieve viral suppression, which is a crucial component in itself to halting new HIV infections,” said Davidson.
With a second chance at life and much time for personal reflection, Ngcobo shared a heart felt message; “I would like to tell people that it is up to you to make the right choices in your life. Don’t wait for someone to do it for you. Love yourself, respect your body and take your medicine if you are sick.” For more information on HACT, call 031 765 5866 or email: info@hillaids.org.za
*Name has been changed
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