A little fighter against TB
By MADELEINE AREK
HE IS six going seven, stout, with a mop of fuzzy hair on his head. When I met Daniel, his face was smudged, a mixture of dirt and tears. He had wanted an ice-block but was not given one.
Daniel is the average Papua New Guinean child, bare-footed, fun loving and oblivious of the world around him.
“Daniel loves life,” his mother Badua Siamoli said.
“He loves eating, he loves his friends, he loves hanging out with the other kids here at the block. He is so full of energy, that sometimes trying to catch up with him can be agonising. He has a zeal and zest for life that is unbelievable, that sometimes, I stop and think if this is the same little boy who at one stage could not walk, sit down on his own, let alone utter a single word.”
Two years ago Daniel suffered from Meningitis, tuberculosis in the brain.
For two years, his family struggled through the anguish, frustrations and pain of it all. They felt cheated, that fate had served them a raw deal.
But what could crying do. They resolved to beat the odds. They were not going to let their baby succumb to the disease.
“Daniel never showed signs of TB but he would constantly get sick with cough and fever and we had to bring him in for treatment on numerous occasions,” his mother recalled.
“Two weeks prior to him falling seriously ill, he ran up a fever and I took him to Situm health centre for treatment. He had several small lumps at the back of his ears however the nurses could not determine what exactly it was and they put him on anti-malarial drugs.
“He was still on that medication when one day in September 2005, he had a fit and had to be rushed to Angau.
“For two weeks, he was in a coma, a mother’s nightmare. He was diagnosed with TB and was given his medication through tubes. We watched and prayed, it was all we could do. After he came out of the coma, he continued taking his medication. Recovery was slow, and for two months we stayed in hospital.
“I prepared my lessons from his bedside, struggling through half of the 2005 academic year. His father and I took turns looking after him. We were both teaching and had to juggle classes and take care of him.”
She said they continued that routine until they were released from hospital in early November.
“Daniel was like a baby. He had to learn to walk and talk all over again. We were released from the hospital but continued to take him in for physiotherapy, where he learned how to use his muscles and his speech became more distinct,” she said.
Mrs Siamoli said so many things happened during that time. They watched their once charming little boy, become very violent and moody, often becoming uncontrollable. They also watched him grow hair all over his body. They were told it was caused by the drugs he was taking and that the hair growth would cease after he completed his treatment.
They learnt how to deal with Daniel as he came. It was a whole new learning experience. One they were never prepared for.
“We learnt that he responded positively when we talked to him in a positive manner and that was what me, my husband and children and our family and friends did when we were around him,” she said.
She also said a good diet and commitment to taking medication also helped cure the disease quicker.
Daniel has never shied away from the disease. His confidence and positive attitude have helped him on the road to recovery.
When there is something about TB going on, he has always volunteered his support, donning a t-shirt with the words TB splashed on it.
She said in his own little way, he has been a warrior for the cause, fighting the battle in the only way he knows he can, using his ordeal as a platform to speak out about the disease.
“This is the third time he has come out publicly and shared his struggle with the disease so that others with TB can find a cure and those who don’t have it, know how it is spread and will avoid it,” she said.
Daniel was at home on the dais at Situm on Sunday, speaking to an audience of close to five hundred people who had come to commemorate World TB day. He spoke openly of his struggle with the disease and what people could do to prevent and also treat it.
Daniel has fully recovered. It has been a year and a half since his last review. His family members have gone for tests and they have all tested negative.
Out of love for her little boy, she drew all her energy, prayed for divine guidance, and was helped by the TB DOTS program to see through what appeared to be gloom and doom.
Looking back, she’s laughing, wiping away Daniel’s tears.
Weekender Stories