Report of 19 March '08

She has died. Wracked by TB (tuberculosis), one lung completely wiped out and the other lung barely able to hold on with pneumonia. On the plus side, she was not out on the street, miserable, in pain and suffocating (I have heard from asthmatics that this is a horrendously frightening sensation), but loved and cared for, and with the Banyan family near her.

We are losing too many people to TB. By the time these folks come to us from the street, many are affected, and have not been treated. Sometimes, we cannot treat because the liver is already damaged and the TB meds damage it further (as with our patient above); then we are truly in a quandary. If we can catch the disease early, we stand a chance.

Naren turned 17 last week. He elected not to have a party, but tthe day with us and that was great. We gave him "The Godfather" trilogy, and we went out to eat at a lovely restaurant with sumptuous non-Indian food, then spent the rest of the day watching the flicks. There were tons of interruptions with Naren's friends from far and wide phoning to wish him, and that was ok, because it reflected what his friends think of him.

Work is good and getting busier. We are also gearing up for our Europe trip. We still need a contact in Brussels with floor space for 1 night on 9 April; if anyone can help, please let us know.

Our best to you, may you be healthy and never know TB -

R