Richard Woba dared what others would not risk in his case: to speak openly, and without taboo, about his serological status as a carrier of the hepatitis B virus (he is an inactive carrier). Portrait of a man with a mind of steel who campaigns for better treatment of the disease in Burkina!
When you know your HIV status, you expect to see a person with a sick look. But against all odds, it is a man with a jovial face, radiating wisdom and dynamism that we discover on August 14, 2024.
The man is not a person carrying a “virus” like “hepatitis B” in his body. For his attending physician, Dr Roger Sombié, the hepatologist/gastroenterologist who has been following him for years, this is normal, because his patient, Richard Woba, is an “inactive carrier”. That is to say, the virus is controlled in the liver.
Dr. Roger Sombié is the friend and attending physician of Richard Woba
His viral load has been negative and undetectable for years. “So he is not sick and is in good health like you and me,” explains Doctor Sombié.
The doctor specifies that out of the cohort of more than 2,000 patients he follows, the proportion of patients like Richard Woba varies between 80 to 90%, because they carry out all the blood tests that are offered to them.
“The first contact”
While we were waiting for him at 9 a.m. in an office at the headquarters of the Order of Physicians of Burkina Faso where we had an appointment, it was at 8:45 a.m. that Richard Woba pushed the door open and began a conversation before even sitting down. He is a very punctual man. He also confirms this in his testimony: “We have so many things to do per day that 24 hours are insufficient,” he says as if to say that his time is precious.
With him, every minute must be taken advantage of, because of his daily schedule. The man has an imposing voice and boundless energy. He is from the medical profession. His profession seems to have shaped him. But not only that. Because, in addition to being a health professional, the man is also an entrepreneur and involved in the associative world. In summary, he is a man who has several strings to his bow.
“An outstanding discipline to tame the virus”
Tested positive for hepatitis B at the age of 21, Richard Woba, now in his fifties, has nevertheless built a normal married life. He even had children (three boys), built a career with big projects in perspective.
While some would describe their serological status as fatal, Richard Woba welcomed it like any other information, without being overly concerned. “If I had done something that exposed me to this virus, I would blame myself or worry. But, I hadn’t done anything, so I’m at peace with myself”, he justifies himself, while looking back on his story: “At the time, I was just 21 years old, I naturally said this to my family and they rushed to get tested.”
It is then that he discovers that he is not the only one and that other members of the siblings have also contracted the virus. This is how he knew that his infection came from the family.
Faced with this status, the man continued his life normally by developing an unparalleled lifestyle to tame the virus. And for more than 30 years, it has worked very well and allowed him to maintain good health like everyone else. This, starting with your diet. He does not drink alcohol or sugary drinks, and only eats home-cooked meals, taking into account his health, products and others.
For Richard Woba, hepatitis B is not inevitable
“A demanding, rigorous, but very loving father”
In addition to diet, Richard Woba has also forged a mind of steel through sport. He tells us about his passion for sport and how he integrated it into his daily life to always feel good in his head.
His children, he said, nicknamed him the “sprinter.” In their eyes, he is a champion like Yohann Diniz (athletic walking specialist). Every day, starting at 4 a.m., he runs seven kilometers and also does 30 to 40 minutes of gymnastics, he said, while remembering what his children ask him at home what he prepare for competition every day. I tell them that I am preparing for the competition of life. All this to show how healthy living matters a lot for people living with the hepatitis B virus.
If Nelson Mandela devoted his life to the fight against apartheid, Thomas Sankara campaigned for the awakening of conscience in Africa, Richard Woba, on his own small scale, set himself a life mission: that of raising awareness populations on the importance of getting tested, and especially of changing their outlook on people who suffer in the shadows not knowing who to talk to at the risk of being “stigmatized”. And by becoming the voice of his peers, he says he has moved the lines through his association, being one of the first to engage in the fight for better treatment of hepatitis B in Burkina.
His association also aimed to raise awareness among the population of the importance of screening, based on the example of his family. But, according to him, after his association, many others were created. Unfortunately, they dispersed. For more effectiveness in the fight, we must unite in order to have more impacts, he recommends.
Hepatitis B disease, like AIDS, still remains a taboo subject in Burkinabe society. However, it wreaks havoc and there are around 5,000 deaths per year, with an estimate of 2,400,000 cases of hepatitis B recorded in hospitals and a prevalence rate increasing from 8 to 15%, depending on the ministry in charge of health.
Richard Woba gives himself up and without taboos. Never dodging any question, however intimate, this father “very loving, but demanding and rigorous”, according to his eldest son, Alex Woba, tells, talks about the past, the present and the future, and captivates the attention through its history.
Mr. Woba put into words what carriers of the hepatitis virus experience on a daily basis. These patients who refuse to talk about it at the risk of being “stigmatized”. He talks about his challenges and the invisible struggles he faced, beyond himself. The meaning of his commitment. He remembers that he even stood guard at the airport until 2, even 4 a.m., to wait for the arrival of medicines ordered from outside. If the gold medal for resilience in the field of health were to be awarded, he could win.
Richard Woba remains standing despite the death of his wife
His objective behind this testimony is to continue the awareness raising that he started years ago. In addition, he wants to draw the attention of decision-makers to better patient care and the fact that accessibility to adequate care still remains a challenge for them. Because according to his analysis, things have improved more clearly than 20 years ago. But much still remains to be done. Among the current challenges of these patients is the accessibility of medicines in all health establishments in Burkina Faso. Because some patients living in the provinces are forced to travel to Ouagadougou to buy medicines. So we could make them available across the entire territory.
Pay tribute to your deceased love
As if fate was working against him, in 2021, the woman to whom he was married for more than two decades was torn from his affection. She died of cancer. Nevertheless, the man continues his journey, carrying in memory the mother of his children and the love of his life, according to his confidences. And all the projects he has in perspective, he intends to carry out to pay tribute to him.
Yvette Zongo
Video: Auguste Paré
Lefaso.net
