Life and Death.

How many of you reading this have been to a funeral in the last year? In the last month? In the last week? How many of you have been to more than ONE funeral in the last year? In the last month? In the last week?

I am stating it here for all of you to read – I am 27 years old and I have never been to a funeral, well maybe just one when I was too little to even remember such events.

Although I have never been to a funeral, I understand fully that death is inevitable and a reality for us all. I hear about people dying here and there from old age or an illness. And don’t get me wrong it does impact me and demonstrates the reality of death. But DEATH has never felt so real to me as it did when we were in Africa.

Death is so common in Africa, it is nearly tangible. It can be felt around every corner and every bend. Just over the course of ONE month many COTN staff members were impacted by the death of a loved one. Some mourned the loss of a father, a daughter, or even a fellow coworker. It seemed as if people were always attending funerals. People frequent funerals as often as they may frequent a friend’s house.

Many of these people are dying due to malaria or HIV/AIDS. Malaria is as common in Africa as the common cold is in the states. During our time there many of COTN’s own children and staff members were admitted to the clinic to be treated for malaria.

These next few bits were taken from Peter’s entry on Upsidedownmotive.net. I want to make sure I give him credit for these beautiful words… “In Malawi, not only do many die giving birth or from HIV or from hunger but many are crippled by the scourge that is Malaria. Malaria in Malawi is so common that if you are sick you can nearly always presume it is malaria. Take one of the girls in the teen home in Chiwengo who has battled malaria 10 times, or the 6 month old child of a mutual friend who just lost their battle with malaria, or the girl from Chilombo who we drove to the ABC clinic. We met a COTN nurse who told us she sees a malaria sickened child at least one or 2 times a week. Death from malaria is one of the most tragic ways to die in Africa as it is avoidable at a very low cost. What would it take to cut deaths dramatically and in a matter of months? Nothing but nets- A simple mosquito net costing $10. Quinine, the drug used to battle malaria, costs $15 each time you have an outbreak. Do the Math yourself, nets are cheaper, nets are better, and nets are simple. COTN at Chiwengo is lacking nets. Some have nets, some do not, and some just don’t like them! Until we can have greater access to nets, Malawi will continue to struggle against malaria.”

Everyone in Malawi knows someone who has been touched by malaria in some way. It all kind of reminded me of a common disease we have in the states, a disease we like to call cancer. Everyone in the States knows someone who has been touched by cancer. Malaria or even HIV/AIDS is their cancer. And then it made me think why is cancer unheard of in Africa? Don’t get me wrong they have their own diseases and illnesses, but why is it that cancer is claiming the lives of thousands of people each year in the states? Makes you think doesn’t it…we may not have malaria, but we have our own set of diseases and problems that disrupt and destroy life. The only difference is theirs is called malaria while ours is called cancer.