My new client

It has been quite some time since I was last assigned a client from our contacts at the HIV clinic. Yes, I became Lin’s buddy at the beginning of this year, but that was not an assignment from the HIV clinic. Lin was the one who called me based on the number she got on our brochure. Being one of the volunteers with the most number of clients already assigned, the HIV clinic volunteers if possible would try their best not to assign new clients to me. Furthermore, we now do have another female Malay volunteer in our organization. So if any client specifically request for a female Malay volunteer, they can always assign this other volunteer.

As I mentioned in my early postings, usually we’d assign a buddy whom we feel would be the most "compatible" with the client - depending on their background, the neighborhood they live in, and whatever other relevant info. If say a Malay client specifically mentioned she didn’t want a Malay buddy (like Miera), we’d assign her a non-Malay buddy. We always ask them first.

I have just been assigned a new client this week. Hmmm… after my explanation in the first paragraph, you may wonder why I am being assigned a new client this time. Well, this new client is a Malay lady in her 50’s – and uhh, the other female Malay volunteer we have is much younger. So they assigned ME to be this lady's buddy. What does that imply? Oh, never mind!

Anyway, at least now I have a client whom I can call Kak instead of the other way round for all my other clients. Kak Som has been widowed since 12 years ago. She has 3 grown children (the youngest already in her twenties) and all of them know about her HIV.

Kak Som only knew about her HIV about a week ago. So, understandably, she’s still quite shocked and upset. She doesn’t even know how she got infected… maybe, just maybe, it came from her late husband. She did mention that her late husband used to take drugs, but he wasn’t IVDU. Or at least, she thinks he wasn’t IVDU. When they are already addicted, anything can happen.

But her husband died 12 years ago, could she really have been infected by him? Well, it’s possible. Based on her CD4 count, which is only 24, she was probably infected many years ago without knowing. Well, without any blood tests, she wouldn’t know. She only found out about her HIV when she was diagnosed with TB recently, and blood tests showed she was HIV positive. Kak Som was on a wheelchair when she came for her appointment this week.

I got the above info from a copy of the contact report written by one of the volunteers on duty during this week’s HIV clinic. The contact report also mentioned that she seemed quiet and very sad.

I haven’t personally spoken to Kak Som yet. She just met our volunteers on Wednesday. I don’t want to move in too fast. So I think I will call her next week...