Support 150 Tuberculosis Patients in Moldova

Tuberculosis strikes the young and the old. For us at Speranta Terrei, its mark on young lives is especially piercing. TB draws them apart from other children whose families fear infection and the large number of drugs is hard to swallow, literally and figuratively, for small children. 

Four-year-old Gabriela Namasco was diagnosed at age 3 with ganglion lymphatic multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). She was hospitalized in the children’s section of Chisinau TB Hospital from November 2012 to May 2013 for the intensive phase of a grueling 18-month course of treatment. She is now in the ambulatory, or continuation, phase of treatment at home in Chipriceni village in Orhey district. Her mother, Cristina, and her baby sister do not have TB, but her father, Victor, was treated for TB and MDR-TB. He interrupted treatment when he left Moldova periodically as a migrant worker and is currently being treated for MDR-TB. 

In cooperation with Orhey TB community center and the TB dispensary, Speranta Terrei placed Gabriela’s mother, Cristina, as her moderator. Gabriela became even more attached to her mother when they were separated for 6 months during Gabriela’s treatment at Chisinau TB Hospital. Back at home, Cristina gives Gabriela a dose of pills every day, as shown in the attached photo. Of course, Gabriela dislikes the handful of pills and her grimaces are part of the daily routine. Swallowing pills is not as hard, though, as being away from her family and Gabriela complies.

When Gabriela was in hospital, Cristina visited only every 2 or 3 weeks because she did not have money for the trip and she had to attend to a newborn. At each hospital visit, Gabriela said to Cristina, “Mama, I wished to the fairy I could go home.” Cristina is relieved the treatment support program allows her to bring home Gabriela’s TB drugs instead of taking her 15 kilometers to the dispensary. Cristina says “All of Gabriela’s treatment was a long way up the hill. Today, we are a little bit closer to the top of the hill.” Gabriela is happy to go right back to sketching after taking TB drugs, as in the photo. She misses playing with children, but she knows she can do this again after she is cured. 

At the renowned monastery and park at Orhey Vechi, an annual international festival called “Gustar Day” is held to taste different foods. On 24-25 August, American Peace Corps Volunteers in Moldova organized a fundraiser at the festival, selling Moldovan-American fusion food and handing out information on TB and Speranta Terrei. The proceeds will go towards Speranta Terrei’s treatment support of patients. With our own Dr. Feodora Rodiucova at their side, the volunteers presented a hamburger to a surprised Minister of Health, Dr. Andrei Usatii, and related the importance of treatment support for TB patients. Thank you, Peace Corps Volunteers!