Our triage nurse asked me to come and evaluate a young woman with low oxygen. Breathing fast, her oxygen was in the low 90s. She appeared anemic and generally unwell. She had not felt well for multiple months, but had deteriorated  over the past month. Laboratory evaluation revealed she had severe anemia and HIV. I suspect she has AIDS, making her susceptible to multiple opportunistic infections, and she likely is infected with a pulmonary opportunistic pathogen. Treatment for HIV is readily available free of charge in Haiti. However, patients must take the medications on a regular basis for the rest of their lives. Breaks in treatment can lead to resistance. So, country wide protests involving road blockages can prevent patients from traveling to clinic to get their medications, clinicians being unable to arrive at clinic to provide care and distribute medications, or result in clinics not being able to maintain their supply of medications. And this particular patient was very sick. She needed to be hospitalized and evaluated for infection with opportunistic pathogens.

According to the WHO, there are 38.4 million people in the world living with HIV. It is largely spread sexually, but is also spread through breastfeeding, during pregnancy and delivery using contaminated needles or instruments. Unfortunately, there are likely many people who contract HIV from an unfaithful spouse.

Our patient was shocked when told she had HIV. She came to clinic with a friend, but did not want her friend to know that she was HIV+. Further history revealed that her husband had died 1 year ago from a febrile illness. He was hospitalized, but family determined that his illness could not be cured in a hospital. So they took him out of the hospital against medical advice and took him to a voodoo priest. He died shortly after this.

I cannot tell you this patient’s name, or even her initials, but please pray for her. We referred her to a hospital- pray that she will go to the hospital, and not to a voodoo priest. Pray that she will be able to get to the hospital- past all the road blocks. Pray that the hospital will be staffed with clinicians that will be able to care for her. Pray that the hospital will be stocked with the medications that she needs.  This patient also has a 1 year old child. Pray for this mother and her child, that God would surround them, and that He would show them His healing power and His deep love.