While in Kenya this summer I was worried about getting sick. Little did I know that more than two months after returning, I would find out that I have Giardiasis. According to the CDC, Giardiasis (GEE-are-DYE-uh-sis) is a diarrheal illness caused by a microscopic parasite, Giardia intestinalis (also known as Giardia lamblia or Giardia duodenalis). Once a person or animal has been infected with Giardia, the parasite lives in the intestine and is passed in feces. Pretty pleasant stuff huh?

I had not been feeling optimum since returning home from Kenya but wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong. Did I have gas? Was I just overly hungry? I would get intense spells of nausea from time to time. I thought this was attributed mainly to hunger or other factors but didn’t really think it would be due to an intestinal parasite. Then my friend and fellow travel buddy, Tim, was tested and came back positive for Giardia. I thought to go in but shrugged it off because I consider myself to have a pretty strong stomach and high pain threshold.

Now two months later, I sit in solidarity with my friends in the developing world. I have lost more than 10 lbs and feel weak and unmotivated. According to the World Health Organization, diarrhoea is most commonly caused by gastrointestinal infections which kill around 2.2 million people globally each year, mostly children in developing countries. I have extreme fortune to be able to pick up a prescription and afford that prescription all within a matter of hours that will make me healthy again. Unfortunately not everyone has the fortune or convenience. This is why I work for organizations like The 1010 Project, Healing Waters International, and Elias Fund. They work in communities that lack access to the modern conveniences and luxuries that we take for granted every single day.