HIV Work at Kijabe Continues...

Christ the King Church member Dr. Jon Fielder continues his work in Kenya.

Dear Friends:

With your support, the HIV work at Kijabe continues to expand. Our recent highlights include:

1. The use of the well-known triple "cocktail" for all new patients, and the conversion of many patients on the older two-drug regimen to this treatment as well.
2. The current provision of therapy to approximately 45-50 patients, including 10 children.
3. The training (in progress) of a gifted young Kenyan physician assistant named Kenneth Mriti to provide ongoing routine HIV care. Kenyan medical interns also rotate with me and learn the principles of HIV treatment.

Goals for the future include:

1. Increasing the number of patients on therapy and providing this care through the physician assistant.
2. Expanding the drug options for patients, especially those who fail the standard treatment.
3. Providing additional clinical services (such as CD4 counts, or markers of immune function).

I have recently introduced a simple record keeping form for incorporation into patient charts. Because of Dr. Nate Smith's vision and initiative, and with your help, we now have a number of patients approaching two years of therapy. Perusing charts in order to summarize treatment records makes for fascinating reading.

Joseph is a fifty year-old man who was hospitalized for two months after suffering a stroke from tuberculosis in his brain. That was in December of 2000. Now, after twenty months of therapy, he is strong as an ox and continues to work.

Thomas and Grace are a dually-infected couple who have to travel two days in order to reach us. Thomas is a teacher, and they have two children. Grace had an episode of severe pneumonia over two years ago. Also on therapy for twenty months, she has not been sick or hospitalized again. Thomas started the medicines six months ago and has been completely well. Their treatment is heavily subsidized by the Kijabe HIV Patient Fund.

I believe I have written many of you before regarding James, a 12 year old boy who has suffered from tuberculosis, severe diarrhea, and a devastating chicken pox infection. Although I had shown before and after photos, I had actually not realized who this boy was until seeing James in the clinic last month. (He previously had been taken care of by our pediatrician.) James is taking three drugs and has been doing very well, with only one minor illness in over a year on therapy. The Fund also pays most of his costs. His photos are attached.

Lastly, I would like to say how rewarding my time has been at Kijabe. Your generosity has helped me be effective in ways that otherwise would not be possible. Because of these successes and opportunities, and after much prayer, my fiancee Amanda and I have decided to stay another year, until mid-2005. We are in the process of raising the requisite financial support to do this.

Thank you all once again for your support.

Grace and Peace,

Jon

Kijabe means "Place of the Wind" in the Masai language. It is one of the largest mission stations in the world, with over a hundred missionaries living in the community. It is located on the edge of Great Rift Valley, about 50 km West of Nairobi Kenya. If you would like to contribute to the Kijabe HIV project, make checks payable to "Africa Inland Mission" and designate that the money is for the "Kijabe HIV patient fund." Checks may be given to Christ the King Church, which will forward the funds to the project.

Last updated: 2003-06-07