Sheila N., 14

Sheila is a 14-year-old girl living in a rural area where her family often walks long distances to access water and buy food. The household uses a pit latrine for sanitation and relies solely on her mother, a local market hawker who earns around KSh 2,300 per month, as the primary breadwinner. Sheila is currently in Grade 5 and is a determined and hardworking student. She dreams of becoming a doctor in the future. Sheila is a known sickle cell patient who recently presented with a three-day history of fever and increased restlessness. Her grandfather shared that she has missed her routine monthly clinic visits for the past three months due to financial hardship. As a result, Sheila has not been able to consistently access her prescribed medication, consultations, or necessary lab tests. With several other siblings in the family, the grandfather explained that it has been difficult to afford both the drugs and investigations she needs. Currently, Sheila is experiencing severe pain in her back and lower limbs, which has left her mostly bedridden in recent days. These ongoing health challenges have caused her to miss a significant amount of school—almost three weeks last term alone.

Sheila, who has sickle cell disease, was diagnosed with malaria and received treatment until she was stable and cheerful again. She was then discharged to continue recovery at home. Her grandmother expressed gratitude to Helpster Charity Organization for providing free medical care. Sheila has since recovered and returned to school. She takes her medication regularly, and her teacher has noticed that she is more lively in class and generally happier. Through free treatment she was given she is now grateful for free medical treatment.

Her prognosis is moderately fair. She will have to take her medications consistently for several months before she can see the improvement