YULIA

“In the morning when I wake up I don’t want to live.”

Yulia is 39 years old, from Minsk. She is an in-patient in the 2nd unit of RSPC PT (TB Institute). When she entered college, she met people who dragged her into using drugs. By the age of 19-20 she was a completed drug addict. She got diagnosed with HIV during this period. She was sent to prison for two years for drugs. She was put into different hospitals secretly, she was hospitalized in toxicology department. She was also voluntarily hospitalized several times into narcological dispensary. Then she learnt about methadone replacement therapy programme and decided to try it. In July 2018, she was diagnosed with TB of her left lung.

She is separated from her husband. She has one son, Alexey, 13 years old, who lives with her mother. Sometimes, she goes to visit them during the weekend and stays overnight.

Her TB is drug sensitive and she will be transferred to drug sensitive unit. Her treatment will only last 6 months. She was very happy to hear that. When she finishes the TB treatment she will start reducing the methadone dose gradually, so that in time she can withdraw from the replacement programme.

“I hope I’ll be able to do it.” Yulia