Rachel B., 18

Rachel is an 18-year-old student from a rural community, where basic amenities are limited. Her family often has to walk long distances to fetch water and buy food, and they use a pit latrine as their toilet facility. The household relies entirely on her mother, who works as a hawker in the local market and earns about KSh 2,300 per month. Despite the financial struggles, Rachel is a dedicated Form 4 student with a strong work ethic and dreams of becoming a teacher after completing her secondary education. Rachel has been diagnosed with sickle cell disease. She recently visited the health facility with symptoms including a persistent productive cough, chest pain, fever, and fatigue. Her grandmother noted that she has lost her appetite, tires easily, and experiences frequent joint pain. Due to these health challenges, along with the difficulty of walking the 5-kilometer journey to school, Rachel has been unable to attend classes for the past three weeks.

Rachel was diagnosed with pneumonia and malaria and was treated with antimalarial medication, antibiotics, and rehydrating fluids. As her condition improved, she was discharged to continue recovery at home. During a follow-up call, the Helpster volunteer received cheerful news from her mother that Rachel had fully recovered, returned to school, and was back to her normal routine. Her mother expressed deep gratitude to Helpster Charity for the compassionate care and support, noting that affording medication had always been a major challenge for their family.

She was treated and if the condition could have remained untreated sickle cell anemia could have lead to various serious complications, including chronic pain, organ damage, increased risk of infections, and potentially life-threatening crises like acute chest syndrome and stroke. Without proper medical management, the sickle cells can block blood flow, causing tissue and organ damage, and leading to a reduced quality of life and increased mortality.