Help Children Reach Hospital

Your birthday is always a special day, but never more so than when you are a child. It’s the chance to celebrate the year that has just passed and to look forward to the year to come. And for your loved ones to spoil you rotten! 

Every child wants to spend their birthday with their family, but tragically not every child has the chance. Like Dede (not his real name), an 11-year-old Rachel House patient living with HIV. Dede’s parents are no longer around to celebrate with him on his special day; not by choice, but because they have passed away.

Because of these tragic circumstances, the team at Rachel House wanted to make sure Dede still had a reason to smile on his special day. So the party was bought to his home! Together with his grandparents and his brother, Nurse Dadan helped to arrange a special celebration for Dede. Rachel House volunteer Tiar even baked a superhero special cake for Dede. Everyone got together to make certain that this special boy had a super awesom day. 

A lifetime of challenges

Dede was born with HIV. Tragically it is not just HIV that Dede is living with. He has also been diagnosed with a recurring pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and a bronchial asthma. Yet another disaster struck Dede in 2013 when he was involved in a traffic accident causing the skin on his head to scrape and his skull to fracture.

Dede was first admitted to Rachel House’s palliative care services in 2013. Since that time, our team has helped to stabilise the various symptoms and complications caused by his illness and nursed him back to health. Thanks to the Global Giving Food and Transportation Fund, Rachel House has been able to make sure Dede and his grandmother get to the hospital for his specialist appointments and to have his medicine prescriptions filled. This has made an enormous difference to Dede - the medicines help him regain his health while the care from Rachel House team made certain that all infections and complexities are managed to allow him to live with the joy and dignity all children deserve.

Courage in the face of adversity

Even though Dede is living with a serious illness and has faced challenges that would make anyone else want to curl up in bed, he remains in high spirits and determined to continue his life.

He is a keen footballer, playing often with his friends around the neighbourhood. Dede is also attending school, although developmental delays mean that he is still in the 2^nd grade. Fortunately, his school and friends are very considerate and accepting of Dede’s condition, which is not always the case.

Dede’s grandparents and his brother continue to be his greatest support, but the team at Rachel House will continue to walk with him in sickness and in health. To help him celebrate his 12^th birthday and many more to come.