FOR many the phrase of ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,’ may be a cliché but that a living testament in the life of 61-year-old Martha Tembo of Lusaka’s Chawama compound who has survived both Cholera and Tuberculosis (TB) and is now using her story to inspire and encourage lives.
Tembo, who is married and with five children is currently celebrating a year of being TB free and was part of the survivors that were sharing their testimonies during a Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) in Zambia workshop which was held yesterday.
She shared how she first discovered that she had TB.
It was at a time that she visited a sick relative in the clinic, and suddenly the visitor became the patient as she fell ill, started vomiting and coughed blood.
“I was rushed to seek medical services at the clinic but it didn’t work until I decided to go to Chawama Level One Hospital where I was tested for TB and came out positive,” Tembo told Kalemba.
After testing positive for TB in May this year, she was put on medication for six months which she completed last month.
But during that period, the stigma burden was more heavy to carry than that of the disease.
“Some people begin to perceive you to be useless when you are sick. I was segregated even in the compound as no one wanted to come close to me, including my own relatives. They distanced themselves from me and that made me feel really bad.”
“But TB doesn’t work with prayers, it is real and doesn’t kill when you adhere. All you need to do is ensure that you take your medication constantly for six months, then you shall be fine, I am here as a living testimony and proof that you can indeed get better,” Tembo said.
She also took a walk in memory lane and shared how she was also sick with Cholera a few years ago.
She said in the evening that she fell sick, her family prepared supper after she returned from selling maize.
“I just ate two lumps of the nshima, and I began vomiting and experiencing diarrhea at the same time, until I became dehydrated. My husband then rushed me to Chawama Clinic where I was immediately put on water drips until I felt better,” she shared.
She also narrated how it felt, seeing the person laying next to her die of the same disease she had in the three days she was admitted at the Cholera center, stating that she feared she could be next in line..
“But I will not lie to you, my faith was in God and I hoped to see my children grow older. Because at that time, I had a six month old baby who was breastfeeding and that is how my child stopped taking breast milk by force. Cholera is real, Cholera kills,” she shared.
She further encouraged everyone who may be a victim of either Cholera or TB to simply adhere to medication and be cautious by staying clean and rushing to the nearby health facility each time one experiences a cough or symptoms of Cholera.
Note: Caption picture for illustration purposes only
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba November 15, 2024
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