One chief�s victory over deadly TB
Lindiwe Mozola | Friday April 3, 2015 11:30
The arduous journey towards the cure of Multi Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) requires potent personal strength, hope and faith, Kgosi Balemetse Bailaphuti says.
The 83-year-old chief of Semotswane village near Tonota explains that when he was diagnosed with MDR TB in 2009, he was sure he had heard the death knell, given all the stories he had heard. He was immediately started on medication, but the fear and hysteria associated with the disease weakened his resolve; was there even a need to fight?
“I almost gave up the battle,” he says.
“I began defaulting on the medication because the infection was continuously found in my body despite six months of treatment.”
Bailaphuti says he began another six-month course of treatment and when he went for screening, the stubborn bacteria was still present. The chief gave up and asked nature to take its course.
“After my body rejected the second six month treatment, I threw in the towel,” he recalls. “However, a certain doctor, whom I would like to call my angel, persuaded me to resume my medication and after a long struggle, with chapter after chapter of Bible reading, I complied with her request.” The decision to fight was, however, only the beginning.
The chief found himself on a 12-month journey of heart-wrenching pain involving two injections and 16 nauseating tablets everyday. He says his whole body suffered extreme pain due to the injections, with his hearing also affected.
“TB became my friend after I saw that there was no way out,” he says.
“As long I had breath, I knew there was still hope. Some people were not confident of my survival due to the nature of the treatment. They thought it was only a matter of time.”
But in the midst of it all, his family supported him all the way and ensured that he ate all the right food, which included soft porridge, fruits and vegetables.
“Despite all the odds, I am happy to say that I have survived it.”
Today, Kgosi Bailaphuti encourages those diagnosed with MDR TB to comply with their doctor’s orders in order to survive the disease.
“Fa o ganana le ditaelo tsa ba bongaka, ka bofefo ga e diege. E go tsenya mo lebitleng,” he emphasises. The chief also warns against drinking alcohol and smoking while taking TB medication. He says of his former fellow patients, those who drank and smoked, all died.
“I am also concerned about the lack of information on this disease,” he says.
“Those infected with MDR TB are stigmatised in many communities. Being diagnosed is a double tragedy, as you have to deal with the stigma as well as the agonising medication.
“This is one of the many reasons why MDR TB continues to spread. Many cases go undetected because people are afraid of being ostracised and they also fear the long and painful treatment.”