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WILLIAM
"Kamili not only treated me, but helped me define a future."
WILLIAM's story is one of love. William was abandoned when his mother passed away from HIV. A local man, "Uncle", took William in as his own and ,together with his wife, and raised him. The bond they share is beautiful beyond compare. Three years ago William started to experience epileptiform type seizures which lead to psychosis. Uneducated on mental health issues, William was passed from hospital to hospital trying to treat the symptom (psychosis) not the problem (epilepsy). The ongoing fits eventually resulted in paralysation of his left side.
Finally, a friend recommended they visit Kamili. Within weeks William's epileptiform type seizures subsided, his psychosis gone. William is now participating in Kamili's savings and loan programme with aim to open his own sweetie shop. William and his dad continue to travel 3 hours to reach Kamili. The pride in his father's eyes continues to glow.
Esther
"I've not just found treatment.
I have found a family."
Esther first came to Kamili 5 years ago. She was brought by her husband after repeated bursts of violence and anger. This behaviour developed after the birth of their first child. A friend at the local market recommended the couple visit Kamili. "Her husband was the most loving, caring man. I could see in his eyes how desperately he was searching for help." recalls counsellor Salome. With a combination of medication and counselling, Esther was able to recover from her postpartum psychosis. Esther consistently visits Kamili for her routine medication and has developed a close relationship with the staff, a bond which was essential when recovering from two sequential tragedies: the loss of Esther's second child and her husband. Kamili's counseling staff was able to help Esther navigate such complex issues in light of her ongoing illness. "Here I am treated like a friend, like family."
Charity
"Now that we understand her mental illness, everything makes sense."
Charity has just began her work with Kamili. She was brought to the clinic after a lifetime of erratic behaviour. Charity's mother recalls the trials and tribulations of raising a child who seemed uncontrollable. Due to her symptoms, many schools rejected Charity, causing her to attend school until she was 20 years old. Once she graduated, she received an opportunity to live and work in Saudi Arabia. Despite her desire to go, once there, Stacey became mute, refused to eat or drink and exhibited more erratic behaviour. All came to a culmination when Charity ran away to Jordan expressing religious hallucinations. When Stacey returned home the family agreed that Charity needed to seek medical attention. They were recommended by a friend to Kamili. Charity has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is undergoing a planned treatment of medication and counselling - both individually and with family to assist them in caring for Charity. Following the diagnosis and education, Charity's family has even been able to identify other members of the family who share this illness.
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