We met again
after many days of chatting. She had just finished her degree in Business Statistics from Makerere University Business School and awaiting results.
Even on the hospital bed in Kawempe Hospital after delivery of her baby, Quintine Christine Luutu did not forget to remind me about
our sickle cell advocacy. She told me that she was waiting to have her baby
grow and resume the advocacy work of which she had taken a break. The
conversation we had it and two days later on 18th September 2016
Quintine breathed her last.
 |
| Quintine Christine (RIP) |
It was a time of
mourning for losing a colleague on the frontline and fellow advocate. What we
did not know was whether we shall see her son grow into a big boy. It was
morning which we were not sure what would happen next. Its good news that his
son made two years on 15th September turning into a big boy. Today I
find myself at crossroad whether to mourn Quintine or celebrate Maurice as
morning.
Quintine’s life
teaches us a lot more about life and living a positive life. Battling with
sickle cell and not lamenting about life is what the lesson I learn from the
life of Quin as we used to call her. She did a Bachelos Degree in Business
Statistics which is not for faint hearted. All the time I met her at MUBS
Campus she looked determined and was not in any way thinking of being cry baby
and giving excuses to fail.
I have seen
people with sickle cell disease looking at themselves as fragile and look at
life in a negative way. Our ways of thinking shape the society perspective on
sickle cell. If you look at sickle cell as pain only disease the public will
also thing that a sickle cell warrior can’t achieve anything.
 |
| Maurice Muwanguzi |
Quintine passed on but she brought to the world Maurice who brightens our morning everyday. Its a day of mourning of Quntine and celebrating her life and even the life he left with us (Maurice).
