Joyce is a new patient at TTF. She is HIV+, weighs only 12kgs (26lbs), has TB and is suffering from an all over body rash. Her symptoms and illnesses are not uncommon for a malnourished HIV+ child. Joyce currently sits below the 5th percentile on the BMI index and her health is a great concern – her CD4 count is 261 - just above a critical level.

Joyce's family situation is complex, her mother has alcohol abuse issues, and upon visiting her family home we discovered here grandmother, Betty, was seriously ill with TB - weighing only 28kgs (61lbs). Due to malnutrition Joyce is always sick and unable to go to school. Her mother never went to school and so is unable to secure regular employment, meaning food is scarce. They are stuck in a cycle of poverty. 

Joyce needs significant medical and social support in order to help her to get healthy and lead a positive life. Tiny Tim & Friends is currently supporting her in the following ways:

• Providing nutritional support to help her gain weight, improve her general health and boost her immune system
• Providing medical assistance through the TTF Clinic to cure her other ilnesses
• Giving her mother adherence counselling and disclosure support so she can help tell Joyce about her HIV status and help Joyce to understand the importance of taking her medication on time
• Helping her Grandmother (who weighed only 28kgs (61lbs) when we met her) to recover from TB and stop passing this to Joyce through emergency palliative care. 
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​Joyce’s story is sadly not that unusual for the children we see at the Tiny Tim & Friends Clinic. Joyce’s mother, Miriam,  got pregnant when she was still a teenager and unfortunately, as she was not on Anti-Retroviral treatment passed HIV onto her newborn daughter.  Miriam’s siblings have passed away leaving her and her younger brother to care for their children and their own Mother, who as mentioned is also incredibly sick.

Hear from just a handful of patients, and how they are thankful for the support that they have been provided through your donations to TTF.