Mr. Mkoko

Mr. Mkoko is a tall, gan­gly man with a com­i­cal sense of intrigue.  He was diag­nosed with HIV in 2004 and multi-drug resis­tant tuber­cu­lo­sis (MDR-TB) in 2008.  Shortly after his MDR-TB diag­no­sis, he was released from the mines due to his ill­ness and sent home.  He lives in rural Swazi­land and is too sick to obtain a job, nor are there any avail­able for those in good health.  His wife, a proud Swati woman, works in Mba­bane, which is about a day’s trip away via pub­lic trans­porta­tion. She returns every week­end in order to take care of her hus­band.  And she does this for one sim­ple rea­son: to afford med­ica­tion for a hus­band she adores.  Mr. Mkoko and his wife sup­port his sis­ter and his two sons, ages 7 and 14.  Mr. Mkoko knows the impact he has on his fam­ily and com­mu­nity and has actively explored every way in which he can main­tain his health:  he watches his nutri­tion, attends sup­port groups, and adamantly main­tains treat­ment when he can obtain his pills.  How­ever, Mr. Mkoko has already lived longer than almost any­one with this co-in­fec­tion, and his health is fad­ing quickly regard­less of his efforts.