Gloria N., 15

Gloria is a lively and enthusiastic 15-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a doctor one day. She enjoys playing netball with her friends, often using makeshift balls made from old rags to play in the open fields. She lives with her family in a rural area, where they share a pit latrine with neighboring households. Her mother, the sole provider for the family, runs a small business and earns about 3,000 shillings per month. Gloria is a known sickle cell patient. Recently, she visited a nearby hospital with symptoms of dizziness, fever, vomiting, headache, and yellowing of the eyes. She was initially given painkillers, but her condition did not improve. Concerned, her mother brought her to Mechimeru Health Centre for further evaluation, where it was discovered that she had moderate anemia and severe malaria,

Gloria, who has sickle cell disease, recently began experiencing dizziness, fever, vomiting, headache, and yellowing of the eyes. She first sought care at a nearby hospital where she was given painkillers, but her condition did not improve. Her mother then took her to Mechimeru Health Centre for further evaluation. Tests revealed that Gloria had moderate anemia and severe malaria. She was admitted for treatment, received medication for the malaria and supplements to boost her blood levels. She is now recovering well and continues to take her daily medication.

Being a sickle cell client she was given drugs and if the condition could have remain untreated it could have resulted to death.