I am a 35-year-old power saw operator. I am paid to cut trees and woods for sale. I am married to 1 wife with 5 children aged 10years, 8years, 5years, 4years and 9months old baby. 2 weeks before I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB), my wife and I started having catarrh and cough. I went to a chemist shop to buy some drugs for us. We took the drugs for about 1 week, but the catarrh did not go, so we decided to visit the General Hospital in my local government Shendam. On arrival at the hospital, while waiting to see the doctor in the clinic, some people came to us and was asking us questions about coughing. Then we were taken to one of the clinics and asked to give them the cough (sputum) in a small cup for test. 3 days later, I returned to the hospital to collect the result of our test and I was told me and my wife had TB.

When the nurse told me I had TB, I felt very bad because I have heard of it before and how it kills people. Then the nurse told me to try and bring my wife so they can start treatment and my children so that they can also test them. 1 week later I was able to take my family (wife and children) for test. They collected sputum and stool of my little children for the test and all of them were positive for TB. Then the nurse started advising me and telling me about TB. She told us that TB has cure and that if we take our treatment well, we will be cured. Because of the distance of the General Hospital to my house, and I won’t be able to afford transport for my entire family to the General Hospital every month, I told the nurse to refer us to a clinic in our community that we can take treatment and she referred us to PHC Yelwa East in Shendam. Few days after we were referred, my 9-month-old baby died.

Me, my wife and my 4 older children were able to start the drugs immediately and we are currently doing well. The cough has stopped but the nurse in PHC Yelwa told us we must complete the drugs for 6 months so that we can be cured.

I want to thank the KNCV staff that interviewed me at the clinic and USAID money to control TB in the state. I would like to let people know that TB is real and there is a cure so people should stop hiding if they are coughing. They should come to the hospital for test. Those that have the TB should be patient and swallow their drugs. They should do everything the Health Care Workers ask them to do so that they can be cured of TB. Because I have this disease and I know small about it, I am open to telling people about it and even if I see my friend or neighbor coughing, I will tell them to go for test immediately.