Sunday, April 26, 2015

Unwitting HIV victims need our help

This is being written on a morning when the world watches in horror as Nepal, a place of mountain ranges and mystery, is rocked by the after-effects of a devastating earthquake. I am writing this blog entry, mindful that there are many calls on the hearts and hip-pockets of people, like you the reader, to give. However, I want to draw your attention this week to a country in the same region, but slightly to the south. 

This week, I would like to introduce you to a number of people from a small village in Cambodia. They won't make headlines but they need our help, as badly as the families affected by the natural disaster in Nepal. They won't have people advocating for them, like the pair waiting to be shot in Bali, but they have each been unwittingly afflicted with a disease that could, potentially, be a death sentence.This is their story.  





Monday, April 27 - In the beginning of November 2014, Laom (pictured) started preparing his rice fields for planting. After a few days of working long hours in the fields, he felt weaker than usual and decided to visit a private clinic in the city for a check-up. The doctor took some blood samples and Laom was diagnosed with HIV. His initial reaction was one of denial, defending that he had never behaved in an inappropriate way and could not understand how this was possible.

He was so ashamed of this diagnosis that he could not face telling his family and instead went to speak with the village Chief and later to consult with the head oaf the village health centre. They both advised him to seek a second opinion on the diagnosis in the Provincial Hospital. The second blood test came back positive again and after receiving this news, he went home and told his family. They supported him from the outset and it was decided to that all of his family members should take precautionary blood tests themselves; Out of his immediate eight family members, four have also tested positive with the virus
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If you can support this cause, click on the link below and go through the various fields. At the bottom of the page, where it has a box for you to give a bit more information, please mention this post and indicate your contribution is for the village in Cambodia. Tell them 'David in Brisbane sent us'. And thanks, on behalf of those inadvertently affected by this awful disease.

https://www.catholicmission.org.au/donate

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