Besik's Story of #TBCourage

Besik was first diagnosed with TB in 2004 in Tbilisi, Georgia. This is his story of #TBCourage:

After nearly two years of treatment, having to take about 20 pills every day and have a daily injection, Besik was finally cured. However, years later when his TB returned, Besik felt defeated. He remembered the side effects of the previous treatment course and how, after taking the medication, he had to stay in bed for hours and he wouldn’t even be sure if he was dead or alive.

When he was diagnosed with TB the second time in 2009, he felt he couldn’t put himself through treatment again. Once he was no longer contagious, he stopped treatment. When a form of drug-resistant TB took hold a few years later, Besik found out about a clinical trial for a new drug regimen to treat his TB. With these medicines, he said he doesn’t feel weak – he feels normal. He now hopes that everyone with TB can benefit like he did from this new regimen.