*Panashe is a 10-year-old girl from Maglass, a small mining township in Zvishavane in the Midlands province. She stays with her parents and siblings, 5 children and 3 adults, in an overcrowded, poorly-ventilated, old mine compound house that accommodates several other families.
The young girl faced a formidable challenge that would test her strength when she was diagnosed with Drug Resistant TB (DR-TB) in August 2022. Her mother, *Lisa Makonese looks back with relief now that Panashe is much better and back in school.
“Panashe started coughing in February 2022, we were just emerging from COVID-19, so I initially thought she had caught the virus, and we started with administering home remedies,” Lisa says.
“She started losing weight, even though she continued playing with other kids – she was no longer as active as she used to be, she was withdrawn. That is when I started to get worried. I immediately requested for an HIV test at the health facility and it came out negative.”
Panashe she deteriorated and had to stop going to school but Lisa says she was relieved when her daughter was eventually diagnosed with DR-TB.
“I say I was relieved because during the TB investigations, the healthcare workers had informed me that TB is curable, including in children so I held onto that science. Immediately after diagnosis, Panashe was started on treatment, we received health education from the healthcare workers at Zvishavane District Hospital,” Lisa says with a shy smile.
She was placed on the 9 months treatment regimen.
The District Health Executive and healthcare workers from the District Hospital met her at the beginning of her treatment journey when she was bedridden with a persistent cough, fever and general weakness. Through psychosocial support and care provided by community-based volunteers the young girl refused to let the disease overcome her and she embarked on a journey of resilience and hope.
Although the physical side effects were minimal, Panashe faced psychological adverse events which often left her isolated and dejected.
“We are grateful to the project for the food that we received because we were struggling to adequately provide for Panashe considering that she was on treatment. We received lots of food and I think it contributed to Panashe’s recovery,” Lisa says.
The little girl is one of the beneficiaries of the food hampers supported under the Stop TB Partnership funded TB REACH project aimed at improving nutrition for DR-TB patients and promoting treatment adherence. This was in addition to a palliative care package that ensured her needs and anxieties were satisfactorily mitigated.
“She always had someone reaching out to her, with CBVs conducting routine home visits to offer Direct Observed Therapy, her health gradually improved. Her cough subsided, she gathered her energy and a smile was put back on her face. She eventually returned to her daily routines and is now back at school and can play with her friends,” the little girl’s mother says proudly.
Through her story, the community was able to see that TB can affect anyone, regardless of age, and that with proper care and support, TB is curable.
When asked what her dream was, she smiled and responded without hesitation, “I want to be a doctor!” With that decisive positive outlook to life, one could not help but think, “Why not?”
