A Tuberculosis Survivor’s Story: Thomas

Thomas is a tuberculosis (TB) survivor who now works to raise awareness of the disease. His story, shared through CDC, shows how TB can hide behind other diagnoses, how hard treatment can be, and how much stigma still surrounds it.

TB Personal Stories: Thomas. CDC.

A missed diagnosis

When Thomas first fell ill, his doctors diagnosed pneumonia. A couple of months later he was still having night sweats, had no appetite and felt exhausted all the time. At his next hospital visit a chest X-ray showed active TB disease.

He had no idea what to expect. He wondered whether he would ever be rid of it, whether he would have to live with it for the rest of his life, and what it would do to his body.

Nine months of treatment

Thomas was told he would need treatment for active TB disease for nine months. He was handed a sheet explaining the disease and the side effects of the medicines, but he felt too sick to take it all in. His questions were answered when he asked them, but looking back, he wishes someone had talked him through more of it rather than leaving so much on paper.

Coming home

Thomas left the hospital once he was no longer contagious. He had lost so much weight that his own reflection startled him. He soon returned to his normal activities and regained the weight — but the stigma of TB was harder to shake. He feared that anyone who knew would want to get away from him, and he did not want to be shunned by family, friends or coworkers.

His message

Like many people, Thomas had assumed TB was something that happened to others, not to him. Now he urges others to be aware of it. His advice to anyone newly diagnosed is simple: stick with the medication. It will be hard at times, but it is the only way to get rid of the disease — and tell others about TB whenever you can.

TB patients, survivors and families looking for support can turn to We Are TB, a community of people affected by TB working toward its elimination.

Sources

Based on "Thomas’s Story," Tuberculosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain, with Thomas’s remarks rewritten in hubnx’s own words.

• The film is the agency's own low-resolution copy, recovered from the Internet Archive's record of cdc.gov.