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| Central Asia voices: Life with TB | Central Asia voices: Life with TB |
| (about 23 hours later) | |
| Tuberculosis is a major concern in Central Asia, and many people die from the disease. The situation is further aggravated by the spread of HIV and poverty. | Tuberculosis is a major concern in Central Asia, and many people die from the disease. The situation is further aggravated by the spread of HIV and poverty. |
| The British Red Cross has been running successful TB treatment projects in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. On World TB Day, five patients at the projects share their experiences. | The British Red Cross has been running successful TB treatment projects in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. On World TB Day, five patients at the projects share their experiences. |
| IGOR, 47, ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN | IGOR, 47, ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN |
| Igor says he has finally started to live (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross)"Freedom is like a vacation," Igor jokes. He has spent 26 years of his life in prison and has a history of drug and alcohol abuse. He is living with HIV and TB. | Igor says he has finally started to live (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross)"Freedom is like a vacation," Igor jokes. He has spent 26 years of his life in prison and has a history of drug and alcohol abuse. He is living with HIV and TB. |
| Looking at Igor it's hard to believe he was released from prison just six months ago - he has quit drugs, alcohol and even stopped smoking. | Looking at Igor it's hard to believe he was released from prison just six months ago - he has quit drugs, alcohol and even stopped smoking. |
| His last stint in prison was in a special TB facility in Karaganda in the north of the country. When released from prison, he had not quite recovered from TB. | His last stint in prison was in a special TB facility in Karaganda in the north of the country. When released from prison, he had not quite recovered from TB. |
| "Prison is a terrible place. I got home to Almaty and fell out with my wife. I had nowhere to turn to. I was homeless, until the national Aids centre referred me to the Red Crescent. | "Prison is a terrible place. I got home to Almaty and fell out with my wife. I had nowhere to turn to. I was homeless, until the national Aids centre referred me to the Red Crescent. |
| "They were able to secure me a place in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre and I am still living there now. There are no state facilities like this, so I am very lucky that the Red Crescent has been able to secure me a free place at this private centre." | "They were able to secure me a place in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre and I am still living there now. There are no state facilities like this, so I am very lucky that the Red Crescent has been able to secure me a free place at this private centre." |
| Igor is being treated for TB and is also on anti-retroviral drugs at the Aids centre. | Igor is being treated for TB and is also on anti-retroviral drugs at the Aids centre. |
| Igor says: "I feel like I am in heaven compared to six months ago. I feel so much better that sometimes I even forget that I am still HIV-positive. | Igor says: "I feel like I am in heaven compared to six months ago. I feel so much better that sometimes I even forget that I am still HIV-positive. |
| "I feel like I have finally started to live. I feel like a reborn person." | "I feel like I have finally started to live. I feel like a reborn person." |
| YURI FEDOTOVSKY, 47, KARA BALTA, KYRGYZSTAN | YURI FEDOTOVSKY, 47, KARA BALTA, KYRGYZSTAN |
| The first thing that Yuri Fedotovsky's small children do when they wake up in the morning is ask for food. A visiting Red Crescent nurse hands the little two-year-old a sweet and he instantly devours it. | The first thing that Yuri Fedotovsky's small children do when they wake up in the morning is ask for food. A visiting Red Crescent nurse hands the little two-year-old a sweet and he instantly devours it. |
| Yuri is a TB client of the Red Crescent. He possibly contracted the disease from his brother - an injecting drug user now in prison. | Yuri is a TB client of the Red Crescent. He possibly contracted the disease from his brother - an injecting drug user now in prison. |
| None of Yuri's children have caught TB (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross) | None of Yuri's children have caught TB (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross) |
| "When I was diagnosed I thought that TB was a killer," Yuri says. | "When I was diagnosed I thought that TB was a killer," Yuri says. |
| "As soon as I learned that I could survive, I had to muster all my strength and will to quit drinking to overcome the disease. I felt empowered that I could cope with TB." | "As soon as I learned that I could survive, I had to muster all my strength and will to quit drinking to overcome the disease. I felt empowered that I could cope with TB." |
| Fortunately none of Yuri's four children have caught TB. | Fortunately none of Yuri's four children have caught TB. |
| Yuri had to spend four months in hospital after his diagnosis, leaving his wife and eldest son as the sole breadwinners. Yuri is an electrician, but is not entitled to state benefits while he is undergoing TB treatment. | Yuri had to spend four months in hospital after his diagnosis, leaving his wife and eldest son as the sole breadwinners. Yuri is an electrician, but is not entitled to state benefits while he is undergoing TB treatment. |
| "I didn't tell anyone about my diagnosis because I thought that they would stigmatise me; people try to keep you at a distance when they know you have TB. Because I had to go to hospital, people guessed what was wrong with me but nobody asked openly if it was TB," Yuri says. | "I didn't tell anyone about my diagnosis because I thought that they would stigmatise me; people try to keep you at a distance when they know you have TB. Because I had to go to hospital, people guessed what was wrong with me but nobody asked openly if it was TB," Yuri says. |
| "Even though I am almost finished with my treatment and feeling much better, I still avoid going to gatherings of friends and family because I do not want to be blamed for giving TB to anyone. | "Even though I am almost finished with my treatment and feeling much better, I still avoid going to gatherings of friends and family because I do not want to be blamed for giving TB to anyone. |
| "I will never stop my TB treatment until I am cured." | "I will never stop my TB treatment until I am cured." |
| SVETA, 37, TEMIRTAU, KAZAKHSTAN | SVETA, 37, TEMIRTAU, KAZAKHSTAN |
| Sveta, an HIV-positive drug user, is trying to get her life on track. She is battling to stay clean and provide a better life for her son. | Sveta, an HIV-positive drug user, is trying to get her life on track. She is battling to stay clean and provide a better life for her son. |
| Sveta has been regularly injecting drugs since 1994, although she is not sure when she became HIV-positive. | Sveta has been regularly injecting drugs since 1994, although she is not sure when she became HIV-positive. |
| Sveta wants to give her son a better life (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross) Sveta has been on a government pilot methadone programme since November 2008, to try and end her drug dependency. She is also on anti-retroviral treatment. | Sveta wants to give her son a better life (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross) Sveta has been on a government pilot methadone programme since November 2008, to try and end her drug dependency. She is also on anti-retroviral treatment. |
| Sveta has also been battling TB for four years, and will complete her treatment in November. | Sveta has also been battling TB for four years, and will complete her treatment in November. |
| "I had a baby so I knew I had to stay alive. I took all my medication, even though it was hard and the side effects made me feel ill," she says. | "I had a baby so I knew I had to stay alive. I took all my medication, even though it was hard and the side effects made me feel ill," she says. |
| "I had heard of HIV but never thought I would get it. My main concern when I was diagnosed was what would happen to the baby I was carrying. My husband was also HIV-positive. But I delivered a healthy boy named Constantine. I was so relieved!" she says. | "I had heard of HIV but never thought I would get it. My main concern when I was diagnosed was what would happen to the baby I was carrying. My husband was also HIV-positive. But I delivered a healthy boy named Constantine. I was so relieved!" she says. |
| "When my husband died two years ago from Aids, I started doing drugs again - I couldn't cope. Now I am on methadone and I really hope to quit drugs for good. I want to do it for my son." | "When my husband died two years ago from Aids, I started doing drugs again - I couldn't cope. Now I am on methadone and I really hope to quit drugs for good. I want to do it for my son." |
| When asked about her hopes for the future, Sveta says: "I dream of going somewhere with my son, of taking him to see the seaside, to show him the world. | When asked about her hopes for the future, Sveta says: "I dream of going somewhere with my son, of taking him to see the seaside, to show him the world. |
| "I see the meaning of my life through him, because he needs me. He says to me 'Mum, I love you, I will stand up for you and fight for you'. I want to be here to do the same thing for him." | "I see the meaning of my life through him, because he needs me. He says to me 'Mum, I love you, I will stand up for you and fight for you'. I want to be here to do the same thing for him." |
| VALERY, 36 AND OLIA, 46, TEMIRTAU, KAZAKHSTAN | VALERY, 36 AND OLIA, 46, TEMIRTAU, KAZAKHSTAN |
| Valery and his partner Olia were injecting drug users and contracted HIV through sharing contaminated needles. | Valery and his partner Olia were injecting drug users and contracted HIV through sharing contaminated needles. |
| They met at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in 2001, where they were sent by the government once they were released from prison for drug-related offences. | They met at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in 2001, where they were sent by the government once they were released from prison for drug-related offences. |
| Olia finds comfort in sharing her story (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross) Olia describes how they found out that they were HIV-positive. | Olia finds comfort in sharing her story (Claudia Janke/British Red Cross) Olia describes how they found out that they were HIV-positive. |
| "In 2004 we started feeling unwell and went to the hospital to be tested for TB and at the same time they also discovered HIV. I was so shocked to hear this news, and the casual way that they told me was as if I had flu. They didn't give me any advice at the hospital. | "In 2004 we started feeling unwell and went to the hospital to be tested for TB and at the same time they also discovered HIV. I was so shocked to hear this news, and the casual way that they told me was as if I had flu. They didn't give me any advice at the hospital. |
| "All I wanted to do was die. I couldn't look to the future or even past one day," she says. | "All I wanted to do was die. I couldn't look to the future or even past one day," she says. |
| "My husband would buy something nice for me like a pair of earrings, and I would ask him why he had bothered if I was going to die?" | "My husband would buy something nice for me like a pair of earrings, and I would ask him why he had bothered if I was going to die?" |
| Valery and Olia started visiting the Red Crescent centre after being diagnosed with HIV and TB. They receive support from the multi-disciplinary team of a lawyer, social worker and psychologist. | Valery and Olia started visiting the Red Crescent centre after being diagnosed with HIV and TB. They receive support from the multi-disciplinary team of a lawyer, social worker and psychologist. |
| "Through the Red Crescent we have met others and we know that we are not alone. We feel better when we can share our stories and that someone cares about us," Olia says. | "Through the Red Crescent we have met others and we know that we are not alone. We feel better when we can share our stories and that someone cares about us," Olia says. |
| "We still can't share this with our families though. My seven children know that I had TB but we are afraid to tell them about HIV in case they stop me looking after my grandchildren. My family keeps me motivated for the future so this would be the worst tragedy for me." | "We still can't share this with our families though. My seven children know that I had TB but we are afraid to tell them about HIV in case they stop me looking after my grandchildren. My family keeps me motivated for the future so this would be the worst tragedy for me." |
| Jelena their social worker says: "Valery and Olia were completely different people when they started the programme. Now every time Olia comes in, I tell her how much more beautiful she is looking. You can see life has returned to her." | Jelena their social worker says: "Valery and Olia were completely different people when they started the programme. Now every time Olia comes in, I tell her how much more beautiful she is looking. You can see life has returned to her." |