$228

That’s how much it cost. I was shocked. How can one bottle of medicine cost me that much? But I didn’t have an alternative. I have malaria. That was the only medicine available. What can you do? You pay it.

But I thought of all my friends living in Kenya where I caught malaria. They can’t pay that much money for malaria drugs. Maybe their pharmacies don’t charge American prices, but they still don’t have enough to cover the cost. So they do without. Some are ok. Some are not. Thousands will die today because when they found out the price, they couldn’t afford it. Others can’t even afford the small price of a mosquito net for protection.

It doesn’t seem fair, does it? I know we have a lot of problems here too. But there is still a difference when you are honest. A friend of mine sent me these statistics this week.

97% of “poor” Americans own at least one color television
80% of “poor” Americans have air conditioning
75% of “poor” Americans own at least one car
The average American residence has 2.56 rooms per person with approximately 740 sqft. per person and 100% clean water access
The average Kenyan residence has 0.27 rooms per person with approximately 55 sqft. per person and 40% clean water access

My point is not to make you feel guilty. It is to make you feel grateful. I am really thankful that I can pay $228 and not miss a meal or probably anything else I want. I’m finding that there is hardly anything in the world better than giving. It doesn’t take that much money given in the right place to totally change someone’s life.

I’ll write more when I feel better. And I’m sure those expensive pills will help me get well soon.

About Milt

Milton Jones is the President of Christian Relief Fund in Amarillo, Texas. In his work there, he has focused on the care of AIDS orphans in Sub-Sahara Africa. He has also served as a preacher and campus minister in both Texas and Washington. Milton has authored eight books including a touching tale of one of his heroes with Cerebral Palsy, Sundays With Scottie. He is married to Barbie Jones and has two sons, Patrick and Jeremy.
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