MARISELA
Marisela sat in the BRA’s mobile clinic wearing a little pink dress, her skinny arms and legs jutting out at sharp angles from her body. Her hair was brittle and orange from malnutrition. She spoke in a raspy voice and her breath was labored. For months she’d been suffering from constant respiratory infections. Yet she was still eager to talk. I learned that she loved baseball and wanted rotisserie chicken brought to the next workshop BRA held for AIDS patients. Every week, at the patient workshop sponsored by USAID/CONECTA she seemed to be getting thinner and thinner. It seemed clear that without immediate intervention we would lose her. Coming to her rescue, twenty-four generous individuals donated over US $22,000 towards BRA’s AIDS Patient Fund, to help patients like Marisela receive treatment for AIDS and socioeconomic support. Marisela is an orphan having lost both of her parents to AIDS. She lives with her aunt and cousins in a crowded barrack, a remnant of the old sugar plantation. Her family could barely afford to eat, never mind paying the costly transportation, tests, and medical attention that Marisela requires. Now, Marisela travels monthly to BRA’s new health center at Batey Cinco Casas where she receives complete treatment. Recently, Marisela along with several of our other HIV positive children spent a week vacation with Consuelo, a Pediatrician from the Clinton Foundation, in La Romana. Marisela is still underweight and suffers from bouts of depression, but we are addressing these problems by offering professional counseling and food aid. Her family also received a Biosand water filter and a mattress.