If Theo survives the latest infection he has been struggling with, he will turn nine years old in July - just a few weeks after the world recognizes the 30th anniversary of the AIDS pandemic on June 5.
What in the World Will Become of Theo?
On this, the 30th anniversary of the AIDS pandemic, a child in Africa continues to struggle against a disease that may leave him an orphan – if he himself lives to his ninth birthday.
By Kevin Winge
Theo's mother, Linda, worries more about her son than she does about herself. She, too, takes medication for HIV, but her body is giving out. In addition to AIDS, she has had breast cancer and now is awaiting gallbladder surgery. She and Theo share a bed in her one-room shack in a township outside of Cape Town, South Africa. The $150 a month she receives in a disability grant doesn't come close to meeting the mother and son's basic needs. Last week, the two had gone without eating for several days until a generous soul in Minneapolis learned of their predicament and had a parcel of food delivered to their home. Linda says her stress would lessen if she knew what would happen to Theo after she dies, but there is no one to take care of him. Linda and Theo's story has been playing out around the world, in millions of households, for the 30 years that we have now been aware of the AIDS pandemic. Advances in treatment have dramatically improved the lives of many people living with HIV/AIDS, both in the developed world and in the developing world, but too many people still lack access to medications. For others, like Linda and Theo, even the drugs can't make HIV a manageable disease for them. Linda isn't thinking about the 30th anniversary of HIV/AIDS. She's worrying about the next 30 days. She needs to have surgery. Theo must go to a school for children with AIDS who have additional needs, but there is no money for that. The food they received from the generous donor will run out before the month is over. Linda says she can deal with all of that. What she can't deal with is leaving behind a child, possibly to be nine-years-old, who can't care for himself and who the world doesn't seem to care about.
about the writer
Kevin Winge
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