AN EPITOME OF STRUGGLE TO SUCCESS

 

AN EPITOME OF STRUGGLE AND SUCCESS

Whitney Magdalene 23 years has been living positively since birth. But at the age of 20 she became pregnant, and that when she was uncertain whether her baby would survive given her HIV positive status. This made her frustrated and she wanted to get rid of the baby, because she did not want to bring a HIV positive baby to the world.

‘In 2021 after finishing my form 4 in 2020, I became pregnant and it forced me to relocate to my cousin place. I stopped taking my ART medication for 3months because I just loosed hope in life. And I knew no matter what my unborn baby would turn positive. At that time, I didn’t know more about prevention of mother to child transmission’ she says

Witney received significant support from Pathway to Change Initiative ( formerly UCAHAEC), under the PLHIV case management that promotes adherence among people living with HIV, and is now living a healthy life as she devotedly adheres to her medication.

Through her support group and advice from health care workers, Witney learnt that through prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) interventions, she could not only give birth to a HIV negative child, but she could also get to enjoy the most intimate bond between mother and child by breastfeeding without passing the virus to her child.

In December 2021, Witney’s son was born HIV negative at Bar Ndege dispensary, East Ugenya.

Despite her HIV status, Witney exclusively breastfed her son for six months. During this period, she ensured that she adhered to the mother and child antiretroviral therapy interventions recommended at the hospital.

‘After delivery I followed every instruction that a PMTCT mother had to follow, I attended my appointment without missing collection for the baby was done for 6weeks and it turned negative for 6months it turned negative, for 12months it turned negative, for the Antibody test at 18months it turned negative this was the final test done and he was discharged successfully,’ she says

Witney’s is not a story of sadness; it’s a story of joy. Each month when she returns for care, her bright eyes and glowing smile lift the spirits of all around her. Currently she is enrolled under the Pathway to Change Initiative – PMTCT program where she serves 48 PMTCT mothers adhere to mother to child antiretroviral treatment and bring negative babies to the world.

‘When you accept what you are and live positively and adhere well to medication you can be just like the negative person and also you can have a negative HEI infant at the age of discharge. Thank you, PCI(formerly UCAHAEC), for giving the platform to help other mothers with the same experiences.’