It was dusk on a blazing sub-Saharan Africa when I took part in a tragic intake into which became a part of the nightmare that will forever remain in my memories, etched with fear and uttermost anxiety. I am an athlete. I take part in competitions in the ranks of Bicycle Racing. I won a lot of medals and I plan to earn more.
We were to set out to Africa wherein we were going to be a part of one of the biggest bicycle race competition in the world. It was going to be broadcasted on television. It had a 3-day basis. You are given three days to venture out and aim for the finish line. Of course, nobody's allowed to travel at night; you need to set out a campsite with the following materials which is already prepared. Well, there is a given location for camping for each rider. Out of 9 contestants, I was first to reach the campsite. If you are to leave the campsite, late in the evening, be warned that there is danger lurking in the Sahara. So as they say.
I didn't mind waking up at 1 o' clock in the morning to head out and continue with the race while the other racers are still sleeping and will or might wake up at 4 o' clock. It's a good start in my opinion although it's very risky. I love taking risks and going on adventures, it runs in my veins. The thrills, the excitement, the danger, I want it all! But who knew that I would eat my words later on.
It was 3 o' clock in the morning. I was having a hard time traveling due to many mosquitoes, swarming then attacking me. I had a lot of bite marks and my skin is swelling with itchiness.
I would take a break and scratch my back then I would go to my itching legs. I can't help but try to rest for a while. As I got myself back up and prepared to leave again, I went back on my track and started pedaling. It was only a matter of time when I reached the finish line. Although one of the contestants finished a few minutes before me. I paid it no mind. The only thing that was inside my head is on how I will lessen the itchiness because I really can't take it anymore.
Seven days have passed and boy is it me or is it hot in here? I am heating up, I can't take it. I thought it was nothing but it was flu. Not only that, I get nauseous and I start to vomit. I have the chills, I have the fever, I get diarrhea and I sweat a lot. Like a lot. It's about time that I had to go to the hospital, the problem is, I can't. I was in Africa. In the middle of the Sahara. We were staying at an inn. I had a hopeless case or so it seems. I didn't know that I had Malaria so I didn't pay any mind about it for the first few days. But day by day, it grew worse. Much worse than before. I told my friend and he told everybody about it.
They called the rescue team. I was beyond petrified for I didn't know what was happening to me. Fourteen days have passed since the race; the doctors told me that it was a case transmitted by an anopheles mosquito which is Malaria. I was like, "Malaria? I have Malaria?" It was horrifying indeed.
I've been through several complications because of the disease. For a moment there, I really thought that I was going to die. That scary feeling when you're at death's door, that’s how I felt. I wonder how I will go back home and tell my parents that I won silver or hug my little sister and tell her big brother's home. All the happy moments flashed before my eyes the very minute when I was about to go to coma. After that, I was on comatose for three whole months.
I woke up and I saw my mom, my dad, my little sister and all my friends and family standing there, some were put to tears, some were singing to me. It was the first time in months that I smiled since the whole finding out I have malaria, thinking I'm gonna die, being on comatose thing. I was truly grateful to have them. I feel blessed, surviving and having such loving friends and family. Who knew that being in "danger" in which I loved to experience became such an unnerving cognizance.
It has been a year ever since I encountered such a disease. I searched it up and studied on how it spread through my body. The cause for the pain that I've been through. It was bloodcurdling knowing that it happened because of a measly sporozoan called Plasmodium. The mosquito was just a carrier. It contained the Plasmodium and after injecting the sporozoites to my bloodstream. They travel through the bloodstream to the liver, and mature and divide into several cryptozoites, the affected liver cell bursts and the cryptozoites cast loose a different batch of cryptozoites. They might invade other liver cells or they would pursuit and attack the red blood cells which are important for delivering oxygen and etcetera. It forms and develops into a trophozoite inside a RBC, grows into a schizont which in turn, divides into several merozoites.
The tainted RBC bursts and releases the merozoites which will invade other RBCs. The cycle will reoccur and more RBCs will be destroyed and more merozoites will beget. If a malarian patient is bitten by a mosquito, it will suck up the blood that contains the gametocytes.
If the mosquito is a genus other than Anopheles especially if it is male, it will only be destroyed in the stomach. However, a female anopheles minimus is an exception. A male gamete and a female gamete combines and forms a zygote. The zygote will turn into an ookinete then it will develop into an oocyst. The oocyst will grow and develop and divide into thousands of sporozoites.
They will find their way to the salivary glands of the mosquito and by then, they'll wait until they get injected into the bloodstream of the next person that the mosquito will bite. All in all, I was a victim of these parasitic feens.
Be cautioned about the phenomenon that occurs in our planet, you'll never know, you might be the next victim of this parasite. This is what happened to me and it might happen to you so I'll advise you to take more care and don't treat things lightly especially when it comes to mosquito bites and etc. A tiny bite can take your life so be fastidious.
I won’t stop my profession as an athlete but ever since that tragic incident, I will be more aware of my surroundings and treasure this chance that God has given me. He gave me a second chance and I won’t ever dare to tarnish it and take it for granted.
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