More Than A Statistic | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

More Than A Statistic

A look into the people behind the 70 percent of Africans that die of HIV each year.

20
More Than A Statistic

Africa is home to roughly 16 percent of the entire world's population.

69 percent of these people are living with HIV/AIDS.

70 percent of the people who died due to AIDS were African.

1 of them was Susan.

Susan is not a percentage, she is not a number, she is not a statistic.

In 2011, I went to Zambia for the very first time and met Susan. She was very tiny, but very full of spirit. She was the loudest, the goofiest, and the most snuggly little girl I had ever known. I loved Susan. I loved her more than I had ever loved a child. She was the sole reason I wanted to continue working in Zambia. She was the reason I became so passionate about orphan care. She was the first child I led to Jesus. She was my daughter of the spirit.

She was about nine years old at the time but I easily carried her like a toddler, not uncommon in Zambia, but still strange. She explained to me that her mother died when she was very young and she didn't know why. But she loved her grandmother and didn't think much on her mother. She was happy, she was smiling, but little did I know there was a disease ravaging inside her little body, passed down from her mother, that would later end it.

In 2012 when I saw Susan she had told me that she had been sick. She described her symptoms of what seemed to be a virus, her older sister said she was OK and just not feeling well. I was worried but I trusted her sister's opinion. While at camp she fell and hit her head, leaving a gash. She told me it was an accident, that she was running and she tripped. Though now I am pretty sure she fell from exhaustion.

In 2013 and 2014, I realized what was happening: HIV/AIDS, the worst nightmare coming to life. There is such a stigma on AIDS that parents won't allow their kids to be tested because they don't want to know. They would rather watch their children die then know they were HIV+.

2015. Susan was giving up. Her body was giving up. She was so small and weak that she couldn't walk more than 10 steps without having to lay down and breathe. She couldn't stand for too long. She had been missing school. She could barely eat. She was dying. In and out of the hospital, but her family still unwilling to admit the fact she was HIV+ solely because of their reputation. It was too late, we had waited too long to realize the severity of her condition.

So we prayed, we prayed for the stigma to disappear. We prayed for a miracle. We prayed that the Lord would heal her and let her grow up. It was as if the disease was too strong that Jesus just had to take her up and heal her Himself, then October 27th, at age 13, Susan went to be with Jesus.

We rejoice in the fact that she is no longer in pain. We are sober in the knowledge that we will see her again. But we hurt, we hurt because in our eyes she is Susu: goofy, fun, loud, and gives the best hug you ever got. But to others, she is a statistic. An AIDS orphan becoming part of that 70 percent.

She is not a statistic. She is not a number. She is a soul, a spirit, just as the others living with HIV/AIDS are.

My family is would like to give a huge thank you to Family Legacy for providing Susan & other children like her with a chance to be all they want to be. We would also like to thank the staff who was with her in her last days and made her feel so loved during her time on earth.

We love you Susu, thank you for changing us all. You will never be forgotten.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1745
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1130
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

306
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1729
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments