Opening Our Hearts And Homes

“When you invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind and you would be blessed”

The residents of Crisis Home was invited for a movie outing together with pop corns and soft drinks by our friends Fauziah, Roslan and Ben from PT Foundation. We had a great and enjoyable time watching a local comedy movie “Talentime”. There was joy in their hearts, laughter in their voices and smile on their faces.

Thank you to our friends from PT Foundation for inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Although we would not be able to pay them back, God assured that they would be blessed and that God would reward them.

God loves the less fortunate. He invites us to love them by opening up our hearts and homes. Opening up our hearts and homes blesses both us and others. We are all here by His Grace and Love.

The most effective weapon you have against HIV is knowledge — understanding how the virus progresses and operates, learning how to monitor your health and staying informed of your treatment options – this is an important step in taking charge of your own health.

Equally as important is emotional support — from friends, family or a group. An opportunity to interact with people who are going through or have been through a similar experience is invaluable.

Many people continue to live healthy, happy lives more than 10 years after testing positive for HIV. The bottom line is that testing positive for HIV is not a death sentence. Treating your body well, following your doctor’s instructions and maintaining good mental health are simple steps you can take to manage your health. Different things work for different people — find out what works for you and do it.

I fully support Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s criticism of smokers (New Straits Times March 28, 2009).

We all know that smoking is a health hazard, so I hope smokers will heed Nik Aziz’s advice and seriously consider giving up this dangerous habit.

(New Straits Times March 28, 2009). KOTA BARU: Muslims who portray their Islamic image by wearing robes and skullcaps, but smoke, are more despicable than cows, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said yesterday.

He said cigarette smoking was banned in Islam, and doctors, because the habit was hazardous to health.

“For example, a cow which defecates in the middle of the road, (we) cannot take legal action against it because it has no brain and cannot think. But human beings, who have brains, for them to do something which is wrong in religion and health-wise, what more when they are in an attire which symbolises Islam (wearing of skullcaps and robes), they can be regarded as being more despicable than cows,” he said in his weekly religious talk here.

Thank you for your prayer. There has been good report from the residents and you has encouraged them. This is from their sharing about their health.

1. Wai (CD4 is 3). He was having pain and difficulties to walk. He is able to walk better now and the leg is not so painful now. Even though his CD4 is at a critical level and virus load is still very high (536) he has a very good appetite and has gain a lot of weight. The virus has affected his brain but he is very much stable and alert now.

2. Fei (CD4 is 53). He was having TB of the stomach and has very bad stomach pain. He is now helping to drive the van to bring the residents for their hospital appointment. He is recovering from an operation to remove part of his large intestine.

3. Chai (CD4 is 66). He was having pain and difficulties to walk. He is able to walk better now and the leg is getting stronger but still not so stable.

4. Rajoo (CD4 is 229). He is our oldest residents age 64 years old. He was having ache all over his body but is getting better physically.

5. Kanna (CD4 is 320). He is feeling weak for the past 2 weeks.

6. Wong (CD4 is 441) He is 56 years old and was having pain in his both his legs and was losing weight due to poor appetite. The pain is his legs is not so bad now and his appetite is back to normal.

7. Yap (CD4 is 162). He is blind because of the effect of the virus. He is also feeling depressesd because hs CD4 level has dropped from a high of 320 to 162 this month and suspected to heart problem. Has encouraged him to keep on praying.

8. Lim (CD4 is 320) He was having a very bad cough due to asthma and his lung has been badly damaged that the doctor cannot do anything about it. He is beginning to breath better now.

9. Meng (CD4 is 385) He was readmitted to Crisis Care Home because his family was not able to care for him.

10. Hee (CD4 is 187) He has been in hospital since September 2007 but he is helping to be a peer support for the new patients in the ward.

11. Thong – He was having joint pain on his right hand but has recovered now.

12. Yen – He was having pain walking but is getting better now.

13. Luke – He is our youngest resident (17 years old). Seeking for a vocational training for him to learn a skill.

Thank you for your support

Our condolences to the family of Wah who went home to be with Him this morning – 01 March 2009, Wah’s suffering was minimal during his final days. Yet we are comforted that he had gone home to be with God in a far better place.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.” 

We the staff and residents at Crisis Care Home are humbled as Wah began his final spiral towards death, we are able to provide him, two baths a day, three good meals and two snacks a day and getting plenty of rest and also time to watch some television movies, comforting him that he will not die alone. Please continue to pray for the other residents for a good recovery and respond to the HAART (HIV medications) prescribed and to help prevent illnesses and infections.

On Feb 16 I wrote; May I seek your prayer & hope to pass it to others too. Last week I received a call from the Goverment Infections Disease Hospital for HIV/AIDS that they would like to place a patient in Crisis Care Home. This morning I went to the hospital and brought him to the home. He is in a very bad & very critical condition. He is having advanced AIDS, TB and his CD4 is zero (0) that means he do not have any immune system. This evening when I went to see him in his room, he ask me to pray for him & ask Jesus to heal him.

Please pray for Wah, for peace & comfort and restoration of his health & dignity or come & just lay hand on him for God says: All things are possible!

On 18 Feb; Rejoice! Thank to all for helping Wah. We rejoice together as today Wah confessed, received and accepted to follow Him. As Wah battles on without any immune system (CD4 – 0) we being confident of this, that He who began a good work in Wah will carry it on to completion.

Thank you to all.

Praise the Lord! All is well, all is well! The residents went for their medical check up at the Government Infections Disease Hospital and came back with good report.

Wong –  He has been with Crisis Home for 1 year now. He was referred to us by the Government Infections Disease Hospital on Jan 2008 and was bed ridden using diapers for about 1 1/2 months. He is not only HIV+ but full blown AIDS and had Tuberculosis (TB) and suffering from Toxo (toxoplasmosis) – an infection caused by a single-celled parasite named Toxoplasma gondii that invade tissues and damage the brain. He was on medication for HIV, TB & Toxo. He was taking about 30 tablets per day and the phobia and struggle he faces daily when it was time for his medications. It takes about half an hour for him to take all the medications.

Feb 2009 – Today the report from the doctor, Wong has recovered from TB and Toxo. He do not have to take medications for it. Wong is now taking HIV medication. In Jan 2008 his CD 4 was 110 but today Feb 2009 his CD 4 is 441. PTL he has the highest CD4 count among the residents of Crisis Home and helping with the physical chores in the home.

Kanna – Crisis Home’s staff and he is not only HIV+ but full blown AIDS and had Tuberculosis (TB) and having Asthma.

Feb 2009 – Today the report from the doctor, Kanna has recovered from Tuberculosis (TB) and his CD4 is 431. Kanna is now taking HIV medication.

Rajoo – He has been with Crisis Home for 1 1/2 year now. He was referred to us by his close friends who later cheated him of his EPF savings on Aug 2007 and was just skin and bones. He is not only HIV+ but full blown AIDS and had Tuberculosis (TB).

Feb 2009 – Today the report from the doctor, Rajoo has recovered from Tuberculosis (TB) and his CD4 is 229 and his weight is a healthy 70 kg. Rajoo is now taking HIV medication.

Chai – He has been with Crisis Home for 4 months now. His family was fearful of him because he is HIV+. They rented a room for him and send his meals daily. His conditions deteriorated because there was no close monitoring of his HIV medications consumption and his CD 4 was at a critically level. He was referred to us by a family friends  He is not only HIV+ but full blown AIDS and had Toxo (toxoplasmosis) and needs a walking aids to help him to move about.

Feb 2009 – Today the report from the doctor, Yap CD4 is now 162 and he is beginning to have suspected heart problem. He will be going for more test for his heart condition.

Wai – He has been with Crisis Home for 2 months now. He is not only HIV+ but full blown AIDS and had pneumonia and suffering from Toxo (toxoplasmosis) and he had defaulted on his HIV medications and cause his CD 4 level to drop to only 3 only.

Crisis Home residents will be going for a 2 days 1 night retreat at Genting Highlands on 10 – 11 Feb 2009. HIV, it is not about dying but LIVING with HIV.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; Jesus have come that individuals living with HIV/AIDS may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (Personalised Version)

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Chinese friends Gong Xi Fa Chai!
Have a joyful and prosperous year ahead! Drive safely and have a save journey.

We urgently seek your prayer support for Crisis Home residents, individuals living with HIV whose CD4 is at a very low level of below 200 cells per cubic millimter of blood. They have becomes ill with one of the AIDS defining illnesses and is at a much greater risk of others opportunistic infections and is said to have Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Please pray for a good recovery and respond to the HIV medications prescribed to help prevent illnesses and infections.

1. Wai – CD4 of 3
2. Fei – CD4 of 83 and having tuberculosis (TB)
3. Chai – CD4 of 86

As Chinese New Year is approaching the residents thinks about their home and family and hope to be able to have a reunion meal with them but none of them are not able to go home because of family rejection. Help us to help them able to celebrate Chinese New Year in Crisis Home with a difference. Thank you and please share this needs and prayer request as we seek His Healing and Strength for our fellow brothers who are suffering. You can make the difference.

Kuala Lumpur, 18th December 2008: The announcement today by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to extend nationwide pre-marital HIV testing for all Muslims in Malaysia is alarming. Scaling up HIV counselling and testing services is a critical step for scaling up HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support. Knowing your HIV status is a crucial part of managing HIV but the manner in which this is done is of the utmost importance.

Malaysian AIDS Council President, Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said “The 3C’s should always be used as a gold standard for testing: Consent, Counselling and Confidentiality”. Prof Dr Adeeba stressed that, women’s NGOs, the Ministry of Health and the Malaysian Medical Association had denounced the policy when it was first introduced by the State of Johor in 2001. However, despite the move to further implement this policy nationwide, there have been no attempts to involve, engage and consult any individuals and organizations working on HIV and issues affecting women.

During the recent World AIDS Day celebration, as we reflect on how to simultaneously prevent more people becoming infected with HIV and meet the needs and protect the human rights of people living with HIV, we call for renewed leadership in eradicating stigma, discrimination and human rights violations associated with HIV. We draw special attention to coercive policies such as mandatory HIV testing which are both discriminatory and violate human rights as laid out in several international treaties, including the right to  privacy and personal autonomy. “HIV is, and must remain, a public health issue to be addressed by the health sector.” said Prof Dr Adeeba. “Although the policy has not been made fully available to the public, we understand that there is a provision that allows health workers or religious authorities to notify one’s partner and their family of the other partner’s HIV status. It is necessary that each person who receives a positive HIV test result be counselled by a trained health professional and given assistance about informing his/her partner and family about his/her status. No healthcare provider or religious authority should be authorized to make that decision for individuals. “The mandatory partner notification provision may discourage people from testing and accessing treatment for HIV,” said Prof Dr Adeeba.

In addition, forcing couples to take pre-marriage HIV tests might create a false sense of security should the results turn out negative. Couples should be encouraged to undergo the tests themselves and those tested positive be given counselling. The test results could also turn out negative during the 3 to 6-month window period after infection (when a person can be infected with HIV but the HIV test is unable to detect the infection). “When the policy was introduced in 2001, neither the Johor State Government nor JAKIM conducted any studies to monitor the impact it would have on people living with HIV and their families, especially women. However, we know that women in particular, due to their lower status in society, are more likely than men to be vulnerable to discrimination, violence, abandonment and ostracism, if they are found to be infected with HIV. This has already occurred here in Malaysia,” said Lela Mokhtar, committee member, Malaysian Positive Network (myPlus), a national network for people living with HIV.

JAKIM has assured the public that those found to test positive for HIV would still be allowed to continue with the marriage if both partners agree to go ahead and to be given counselling and advice on preventive measures. We are encouraged by this recognition and positive assurance which ensures that people living with HIV have the right to marry. However, HIV testing- which should be voluntary – should not just be followed by counselling and advice, but be part of a comprehensive package of prevention, care, and support services and increased access to treatment. Moreover, as stigma and discrimination continue to be barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, this policy may drive those infected with HIV underground and not achieve its purported goal of protecting public health.

We call on the Government and JAKIM to:

1. Utilise the existing Ministry of Health policies and services to ensure that voluntary HIV testing  be conducted under the following three principles:

• Consent – people should be tested only with their informed, voluntary and specific consent,

• Counselling – counselling should be provided before and after HIV testing, and

• Confidentiality – HIV testing should only occur when confidentiality of results can be guaranteed.

2. Make the proposed policy available for public review and comment.
3. Remove mandatory premarital HIV testing.
4. Provide HIV information and education in pre-marriage courses.
5. Draft anti-discrimination legislation to protect the rights of people living with HIV.
6. Ensure civil society and other relevant key stakeholders are consulted on any policy formulation in relation to HIV

by the Malaysian AIDS Council and Malaysian Positive Network (myPlus)