Help Vivine Cover Her Mother’s Medical Expenses

Hello! My name is Vivine Kampire. I am part of the Class of 2024 at Sewanee and an international student from Kigali, Rwanda. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in French. I graduate this May, and I am grateful for that. I am creating this fundraiser because I do need help.

Most of my friends know about my mother because she's been sick basically since my childhood. My mother is HIV positive, and she's been taking mental health medication since 2006. Around the end of 2020, they found out that she has diabetes, then a few days later, they found out about hypertension. She's been struggling with other different opportunistic diseases attacking her health. Sometimes ago, doctors suspected she could be having cancer, but the tests revealed it wasn’t. Instead, right now she has congestive heart failure that has been causing pulmonary edema and difficulty breathing. She’s at Kanombe Military Hospital where they are taking care of her, she is in and out of the hospital in this journey. It is hard right now because of the complex of diagnosis she has.

While this has been an emotional roller coaster on my family and I, I carry a financial burden to support my family. I am grateful that I can earn money to send home through my work-study. However, it is getting harder and harder. I am the firstborn, and I have one sibling, a younger sister who was eight months old when our father passed away in 2003.

I am thankful for my mother's life. Her journey has not been easy, but she's persevered through it all until today. She inspires me to keep doing my best. And, I am very grateful for my aunt for all she does for my mom with a very humble and loving heart.

Through work-study here at Sewanee, I pay the house rent, food, medical expenses, etc. I send my money home. I am happy to do it; it makes me happy to see that I help my family during these difficult times. However, I cannot deny that it has been a lot on me. I am unable to save for myself, and right now i can’t even afford a ticket to get me home after graduation. If not for CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) at Sewanee, and good friends who encourage me, I think I would have given up. Going to therapy sessions helps me a lot to stay positive and motivated. A friend helped me find a therapist for my mother as well, and I was happy my mother said yes to that. It's been giving her more strength and hope.

While I drop to my knees to storm heaven with my prayers for my mother, I know I need to keep supporting her financially. Your help with this fundraiser will be greatly appreciated, and I will use it to cover my mother's medical expenses. During these difficult times, this will be a way to keep her hopeful. I want to keep being there for her as she has always been there for me. It will also directly help me to stay focused on my classes. I am still processing all that's going on, but I am trying my best to care for myself. I realize that sometimes time doesn't ease the pain, but we keep learning to live with it. So, we are all doing the best we know-how.

After graduation, I plan to go home and be with my mother and family over the summer. Then, I will be back in the US to continue my masters at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service with a focus on mental health. I believe that good things are coming , and I want to keep doing my best.

Thank you so much for your support! I will keep you updated on how everything will be going.

Vivine Kampire