Residents visit hospice in AIDS-ravaged South Africa

By Tope Amos, Town Crier Editorial Intern

In a fateful sequence of events, seven local residents were privileged to visit the Pretoria Sungardens Hospice in Mamelodi, South Africa, and had the unique opportunity to witness the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS, as well as the awe-inspiring efforts to counteract the disease.

The Los Altos Rotary Club unintentionally provided the opportunity by planning a safari in support of the rotary branch in Petersburg, South Africa. The South African club uses these safaris as fund-raisers to fuel their environmental program.

Los Altos Rotary member Sam Harding was one of the first people to know of this opportunity. “My wife Judy heard about the trip and was excited to get to go to Africa again. She began to get a group of friends together,”including Dean and Gerry Cummings, who work in the field of medicine.

Gerry Cummings, a registered nurse, has spent the last decade working with Pathways Home Health, Hospice and Continuous Care (formerly known as MidPeninsula), based in Mountain View. In January, Pathways began a partnership with Sungardens in a “Global Caring Project.” Pathways is the 22nd American hospice to partner with sub-Saharan hospice. The relationship is still in its infancy and Cummings said the scope of benefits still “has to unfold,” but Pathways is confident that both hospices will be rewarded. Pathways Hospice Director Pat Wolfe said, “We are very excited about the unique insights and global perspective that will result from this relationship.”

One of the primary skills Pathways seeks to learn from Sungardens is the ability to effectively deal with a pandemic, a situation America has not seen. In return, Pathways is looking forward to lending both emotional and monetary support to Sungardens.

After studying the itinerary, Cummings noticed the group would pass within an hour of Sungardens’ satellite in the township of Mamelodi and managed to arrange a tour of the facility at the beginning of the trip. “(The group was) so moved by this experience. It just added another whole dimension to our trip,” Cummings said.

Sisters from the hospice picked up the Americans from their hotel to give them a tour of the facility. (The caretakers’ custom of referring to each other as “sister” is one of the influences of British culture still remaining in the former colony.) One of the nurses, Sister Pauline, made an “impassioned appeal” to her guests, highlighting their needs, essentially, their lack of funds.

Since Sungardens is not affiliated with the government in any way, their operating costs are covered solely by medical aid payments and fund raising. As increasing percentages of their patients are unable to pay their fees, Sungardens has become more adept at securing the needed money. They utilize the standard fund-raisers, such as dances, raffles and soliciting; but they have also established a trio of stores that sell books, clothing and furniture, respectively. The nurses’ zeal especially inspired Cummings, who understands the effort necessary to run a hospice, even without additional obstacles.

The most touching source of income comes from the patients themselves, in the form of beautiful crafts. Olga, a petite 21-year-old woman, designs beaded badges to support herself and her 5-year-old son. Gerry Cummings found her to be “just so cute, so darling and so shy about selling me those badges.” After talking with her, the group learned that Olga had contracted the HIV virus when she was raped at age 15.

The instinctive response is to pity the women of South Africa, many of whom have stories similar to Olga’s. In spite of their dismal situations, these women have managed admirably. Not only does Olga earn money with her badges, but she has also become a spokeswoman who educates young people about the disease through a program called “Breaking the Silence.” Although 20 percent of the population between 15 and 49 is infected with HIV/AIDS, an enormous social stigma is still attached to the disease and has added to the illness’ devastation.

According to a 2003 U.S. government report, 2,300 infections occur daily, but this terrifying rate is most likely an understatement. The South African culture condemns anyone admitting the disease. Paired with the absence of a cure, many Africans understandably avoid seeking a diagnosis from a doctor. The figures that officials are able to record are largely taken from women who learn of their infection during pregnancy. The enforced silence even continues after the victim’s death when families and even death certificates credit opportunistic diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis as the cause. Even with this distortion, the deaths attributed to AIDS in South Africa still total a staggering 20 percent of all deaths, 40 percent in adults. If nothing changes, South Africa’s Minister of Welfare and Population Development estimates that 1.5 million children with lose their mothers to the disease by 2005.

Sungardens does not offer care exclusively to HIV/AIDS patients, but they virtually comprise the entire patient base. The hospice has established programs designed to address the growing fallout from the illness, especially the increasing number of orphans. In many cases, these children are left without family, but just as often, a relative oversees their care. The visitors were able to visit the home of Poppi Phiri, who has raised her eight grandchildren alone since her third daughter died last year.

They live in a two-bedroom house without a roof; the house was undergoing renovation when Phiri’s children died, and all her energy has since been diverted to caring for the grandchildren. Sungardens’ program aided the Phiri family during all three of her daughters’ battles with HIV/AIDS. She doubts that her family could have survived without them.

The presence of the tour group only served to boost the morale of the patients, from lollipops for the children to purchases of the handmade jewelry, but most importantly because they took the time to care.

Dr. Dean Cummings learned this first hand when he was asked to examine a 40-year-old male patient in the hospice program. Though the man was clearly dying and his expertise was medically irrelevant, Cumming’s assessment obviously touched the nurses. Their gratitude made him feel “humbled,” and he was struck by the insignificance of many of the problems faced in the United States. Gerry Cummings articulated the feelings of the entire group: “They were filled with excitement to see us- the patients and the nurses, the sisters. It was a great feeling and there was just so much hope in their faces; and you know, we can do something.”

Pathways Hospice has already made the first monetary donation toward their $5,000 annual goal, and many of the nurses have made the extra step to set aside part of their paychecks for Sungardens Hospice.

The day trip left an irrevocable mark on each of the Americans. From a medical standpoint, Cummings returned with a greater “value for the resources that we do have for patients.”

Sam Harding said the most powerful thing the group came away with was “an understanding of the level of poverty and the level of sickness that is rampant in that country.” The worldwide community is very aware of the situation in Africa, but “to go witness the destruction,” as Gerry did, affects one in a place far deeper than the intellect, the heart.

Although the Los Altos Rotary Task Force was not involved with this trip, it has made groundbreaking contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Since its conception in 1989, the former committee has developed into a separate organization, the Rotary Aids Project. To learn more or become involved, visit them at www.rotaryaidsproject.org.

To learn more about Pathways Hospice and their sisterhood with Sungardens Hospice and how to become involved, call 229-1200 or visit www.pathwayshealth.com.