The Boy Who Is Going To Live
May 13, 2009Steve Tito has no idea who Harry Potter is, but Steve is also an orphan and just as magical. He spent his 14
years in a punishing environment, but he can still light up a room with his smile. Steve has two “Voldemorts” to fight- AIDS and Cancer. He remembers the time when he was so sick that everyone thought he would die before his father, but his father has now been dead several years. His mother died when he was an infant. He has no memory of her, but says that she comes to him in dreams and even visits when he is sick, like an angel.
He was a favorite at the HIV clinic in the city. When we went to get his records everyone remembered him, but somehow despite his popularity they let his Kaposis Sarcoma (a type of cancer commonly associated with HIV) go undiagnosed for years. The cancer has turned his thighs woody and pock marked. He and his brother Mdoe caught the attention of a senior official at Social Services and it still took her 5 months to get them to us. We got right on it. Money raised by Sts Clare and Francis Church in Missouri enabled Steve to get a biopsy quickly. Money raised by Rose Sevald and Brigitte in Canada enabled Steve to get to his chemotherapy. Asha of Canada paid for Steve and his brother to visit their grandmother in the city. Kristy of England brought Steve life sustaining nutritional supplements while he was in chemo. We are so grateful to all of Steve’s many fans.
Below is a photo of “Team Dawa” or “Medicine Team”. After only 3 months of fighting the system, lost blood tests, and disappearing doctors Steve, George, Terri and Evelyn (and William!!!), managed to get Steve onto a new drug plan. Steve is home with his grandmother now. Although he loves everyone at Baobab and we love him, it is in Steve’s best interest that he stay with his grandmother, who is more like a mother to him. We still oversee his medical care and his brother Mdoe remains with us and will start meds soon. We are confident that the new meds will keep improving Steve’s situation. In April volunteers Matt, Lauren and Kate went with Benedictor and George to do a massive cleanup of Steve’s house. They made a bed for Steve out of old beds laying around. They made a chicken coop so that his grandmother could raise chickens to sell, bought a big bag of rice and beans and got Steve a mosquito net to sleep under. Steve’s grandmother killed a chicken in their honor which everyone ate for lunch. Steve is still very thin, but he’s back in school, which is another victory. Transport is a serious issue though, as his grandmother lives quite far from the school. If anyone would like to send $30 a month, we can make sure that Steve gets to school every day by motorcycle taxi.
