Story from Moldova: TB for 20 years with no hope of recovery
Chased by tuberculosis for more than twenty years, Igor (42), from the small town Anenii Noi in Moldova, lives in dark hopelessness for a recovery. His wife has passed away and his children have been taken to a specialised institution.
Igor, who now lives with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), was first infected when he was 20 and was serving a prison sentence in Russia. In 2001, after being released and settling in Moldova, Igor relapsed. Four years ago he learnt that he had multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
‘So many times I started the treatment and then gave up because it was so hard, I was feeling better and had to work in order to feed my family’, recalls Igor.
Last January, doctors found out that Igor’s wife and his two children, a young boy (11) and a young girl (9), all had TB and were all started on treatment. Despite these efforts, the children’s mother and Igor’s wife died just four months later. Immediately following this, Igor’s young children were sent to a specialised institution.
Igor has since lost any hope of recovery as docotrs are telling him any treatment would simply be pointless. The form of TB he has, XDR-TB, has virtually no remedy.
‘I want my children to be healthy, even if I can’t be next to them’, said Igor who is surviving only thanks to his neighbours’ mercy and from some help he receives from his sisters who are living in Russia.
As we draw closer to World TB Day, we hope that TB patients in Europe and worldwide receive the support they need to complete treatment.
Source: TB Europe Coalition
