We
are sad to report that last Saturday night, March 14th, our young
friend Ronewa gave up her valiant fight and succumbed to the ravages of
complications from the AIDS virus. In 2011 Ronewa was welcomed into the home of
Taki, the VMS Outreach Assistant. At
that time, Ronewa was in a very bad state both medically and psychologically.
Her VMS friends and care-givers helped her to regain her strength and
confidence teaching her how to adhere to the ARV drug regime. Ronewa grew from
a sick, shy little girl to a valuable member of the ARV outreach program. She
stood “tall and strong” at events when asked to give talks about her status and
to offer words of encouragement and advice to her peers.
Her last few years were difficult
ones for this young independent teenager. She struggled with the reality of her
illness and often denied its existence by going off her ARV regimen. Ronewa
died from kidney complications associated with her disease. She had just turned
18 in February.
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