Ikael, 60

I’m an avid reader who believes that once a mind is expanded by an idea, it never returns to its original dimensions.

Reading took me to a certain country in Africa where I learnt of a woman named Sarah who watched a neighborly couple’s health waste away with each passing day. The couple were skeptical of modern medicine and sought help from traditional healers. Concerned with her neighbors plight Sarah conjured up a clever plan to help them. Sarah had a sister who was Hiv positive and had become emaciated before she started taking antiretroviral tablets. After taking the medication her health improved and she became robust once again. Sarah was suspicious that her neighbors symptoms were similar to her sister’s.

One afternoon Sarah invited her neighbor’s wife for lunch. The wife was pleasantly surprised at this gesture because people were generally stigmatizing them. After enjoying the sumptuous delicacies they had for lunch Sarah decided to show her family photos to her neighbor. As she was flipping through the album she stumbled upon the photo of Sarah's sister. She was disturbed at the gaunt figure in the picture at which she asked who she was. Sarah implored her to continue flipping the album. The subsequent pictures of Sarah's sister revealed a person who was making salient strides of stable progress. The neighbor's wife suddenly stopped flipping the album and asked Sarah to inquire from her sister what she did to regain her health. Sarah's plan had worked its magic. Sarah related to her neighbor all the steps she needed to take at the local clinic to qualify for antiretroviral treatment.
Sarah was to later learn from the neighbor's wife how she convinced her husband to visit the clinic.

After a few months the health of Sarah's neighbors was on the mend. One day Sarah heard the husband happily singing a song that said rainy days were gone and sunny days were here again. Sarah's story highlights the importance of advocacy. We must h