Living with Tuberculosis in Rio
Geraldo Cruz de Souza, 56, was selling drinks at a kiosk on the beach in Rio de Janeiro until October 2008 when he was already diagnosed with TB and taking medicine. His condition deteriorated so fast; within five months, he showed little sign of progress, and was losing weight so much. Although he was one month before the final blood test, he still had stomach pains. He lives inside a small cement house in Rocinha with one window that is covered, thus making it harder for him to cure. Without a job, he pays the rent from his son's earning as a janitor, and lives off of the food from his ex-wife and donation from neighbors.
