Lucia contracted tuberculosis and struggled with a weakened immune system.
My name is Lucia Massawe and I’m 28, married and I have three children. Although I originally come from Moshi up north, my family moved to Dar es Salaam when I was a child, and we settled in Buza. After getting married, I moved to Mbagala with my husband, who is a small businessman running small bars in the area. To support my family, I started a small poultry farming business.
When I got sick, I started struggling to carry out my daily activities, I began noticing I was losing weight. When I started having a fever in the mornings and evenings, I started to worry. A week passed, and my condition only appeared to get worse. I felt weak, but I had no clue what was wrong with me. Persistent coughing became a regular occurrence, prompting me to try different medications, but to no avail. Some suggested a concoction of eggs, honey, and lemon juice, but it provided no relief. I had to give up my chickens and sold them all off.
Initially, I suspected typhoid or a bad flu since temperatures dropped in June, and many people were coughing. I went to the clinic and tested positive for malaria, so I took the treatment, but the cough persisted. Eventually, I decided to seek help at a bigger hospital: Mbagala Rangi Tatu.
At the hospital, they collected and tested my sputum for tuberculosis (TB), but the results came back negative. I was advised to do an X-ray for further confirmation, but I couldn’t afford it. I left behind a second sample of my sputum at the clinic, to be investigated using alternative diagnostic methods. The following day, I was called back to the hospital to start treatment as my sputum at APOPO tested positive for tuberculosis (TB)!
Initially, I was terrified. I knew little about TB, I had heard the name before but that was about it. I had never considered the possibility of getting TB. The hospital explained to me what I needed to do to protect my family and friends and how to take my medication.
I am immensely grateful for the unwavering support of my family. My father, a doctor, instilled hope in me. My husband has been very understanding and encouraging. He constantly reminds me to stick to my medication and eat healthy.
Learning about APOPO and their HeroRATs astonished me. I was aware of rats being used in demining efforts; not for detecting disease. Despite their destructive reputation, rats are remarkably intelligent creatures. It brings me great joy to know that they are being used here in Tanzania to save people like me, especially those who cannot afford costly additional testing. Thank you APOPO! A diagnosis was key to receiving this important life-saving treatment so I can recover and get my life back on track.”