FAME’s Impact: Overcoming Health Challenges at FAME
Sana’s Son
Sana and his son
Sana (left), his son (middle) and Dr. Elissa (right), FAME’s Pediatrician who was in charge of his care
Dr. Dorcas (right) with Sana and his son
Sana* is in Ward 1 at FAME with his 5-year-old son. It's their first visit to FAME, as his son has been unwell for the past three months. “It started when he came back from school ‘walking sideways.’ We took him to the nearby clinic, where they gave him an injection and asked us to bring him every day for a week for more injections. This treatment was very hard on him, but we agreed to it because we believed that he would get better. But he never did. In fact, his condition worsened. We tried giving him goat's blood, but it didn't help, even though it had worked before with other illnesses.” - Sana
Over three months, they visited three different hospitals. It wasn't until Sana's son fainted and remained unconscious for hours that they decided to come to FAME. The boy’s grandfather, who had been to FAME before, suggested they bring him here. They arranged and paid for an ambulance to transport him from the local hospital to FAME.
Upon reaching FAME, he was quickly received and brought to the emergency room. After undergoing tests, he was admitted to Ward 1, where he stayed for more than a month. ‘I brought him to FAME with my father. I was very scared and I was crying a lot, shocked by everything that was happening. It was the first time any of my children had been this sick and needed to stay in the hospital. Having my father here helped because he remained calm. I was worried that my son would die. Seeing how sad I was, my father asked me to return home and sell some cows to get money for the hospital bill. I agreed and left my son in the care of the FAME medical staff.” - Sana
“Whenever I visited, my boy seemed to get stronger. Over time, I could be with him without being sad so my father could return home. I’m grateful for the care at FAME. They encouraged us even when things seemed hopeless. My son’s health has been up and down, but they have remained supportive.”
“He is my fifth child and the first boy. His mother couldn't come to stay with him because we have a 9-month-old at home and FAME is quite far away. It's a 7-hour bus ride, with only one daily departure. So, she couldn't be here, which was very hard for her. However, she calls daily and is happy to hear he's improving. She is looking forward to having him back home. I can't believe we will return home with a healthy child—such a big difference from when we came to now. I am so thankful.” - Sana
“His sisters haven't visited him yet because they are all in school. I am one of the few people in my tribe [Datooga tribe] who speak Swahili and I also wanted my children to learn it. That's why they all go to school together. He asks for them every day, but I tell him they will soon be reunited.” - Sana
“The boy came to us in a coma. He was minimally responsive. We found he had abscesses in his brain and hydrocephalus (too much cerebral spinal fluid that was compressing the brain tissue). We discussed his case with neurosurgeons from KCMC [regional referee hospitals] and decided that since the family had limited financial means, we would maximize medical treatment and watch him closely. We treated him for central nervous system tuberculosis as well as other bacterial brain infections. After about 1.5 weeks of treatment, he slowly started waking up. His grandfather did a lot of physical therapy with him and got him walking and talking by about week three. As you saw, he walked out of here after a little over a month of hospitalization. He’ll be back later this week for a follow-up. The first day he started walking with his grandfather’s support, he couldn’t believe it and started giggling and then the whole ward was laughing!” - Dr. Elissa
*The patient’s name has been changed to protect their privacy and permission was secured to share their story. This interview has been translated from Swahili to English.