Rebecca (1997-2007) – A belated patient encounter

I took this photo hoping that it would be the 'before' in an uplifting 'before and after' pair. This photo was also posted on June 4, 2007 along with some of Rebecca's story.

I was hopeful that she would survive.

Well, after being admitted two weeks ago for severe malnutrition and spending several days too weak to eat but strong enough to pull out several nasogastric feeding tubes, Rebecca died.

She arrived to us too thin, too weak, too sick.

Her CD4 count was near nothing and her viral load was in the stratosphere.

May she rest peacefully alongside the countless others that have succumbed to this preventable, treatable disease.

May those of us still living strive to reach the children sooner than we reached Rebecca.