'Before, when I was well, everyone used to visit me. My neighbours would ask about me, and we’d sit and spend time together. But when they found out that I had TB, they stopped supporting me in every way. My own relatives even stopped supporting me. Ever since I’ve been sick, all they say to me is, “Your house is broken,” “You need to repair this,” “This is broken from here.” If they can’t reduce my worries, why do they come to give me more stress? I’m not upset about my house. Whatever the state of my house is, I thank God for it. I am upset about people who criticize me.' – Shabana Aas Mohammad, 35-year-old female, MDR-TB Patient.

‘I am in this condition because of my illnesses. Not only do I have diabetes, but I also suffer from TB and arthritis. The welfare society provides me with medicine for five days a week, but I have to buy it myself for the other two days. Even buying this is very difficult. For diabetes patients, wounds that are formed in a day take a year to heal, despite treatment. Because of my TB and arthritis medication, my diabetes becomes hard to control. I can’t work, even if I want to, because I am diabetic.’ – Mohammad Dawood, 50-year-old male, TB Patient

‘I have several illnesses. On top of everything this dog bit me. I also got treated for this at Indus Hospital. Because of my illnesses I am unemployed. How am I supposed to earn? Our public representatives do not fulfil their responsibilities; they create problems for us, when they should help us. Where can we go with our problems?’ – Mohammad Dawood, 50-year-old male, TB Patient

‘I really enjoy seeing my children play, but I get angry when they’re mischievous. When I take my medication and rest, my children get very worried and wonder, “What has happened to our mother?” I tell them that I’m not well, and they leave me alone and play on their own. My children are considerate; they play elsewhere so that I can rest.’ – 28 year old female, TB Patient

‘This is the ladder in my house. Climbing it is like torture for me. When it was hot, we would go up to the roof. But now, no matter how hot it is, I have to stay down. I can’t climb up. If I do climb up, it takes me almost an hour or so, and in that time the electricity comes back on. Instead of undergoing this torture, it is better for me to just stay down. The fact is, whatever happens, one must continue living. When you are faced with difficulties, you should keep fighting.’ – Tasleem Anwar, 36-year-old male, TB Patient

‘This looks like a parrot who is locked in a cage. However, this cage actually represents our attitudes. Through our attitudes, we can get TB patients to rise above their illness and low self-esteem. This is my request to all friends, relatives, and people who think TB is a very dangerous disease. This is not a disease without a cure. Through your attitudes and love, you should support these patients so that they do not become like this lonely parrot, imprisoned in a corner. In fact, they can become become healthy again. Our attitudes hold a lot of meaning for them.’ – Sonia Kandeel, 21-year-old female, Treatment Supporter

‘Whenever I go to give medicine to my patient, she makes faces. Most of the time, she tries to hide. Sometimes, she goes to her mother’s house sometimes to her neighbour’s house, and sometimes somewhere else. Her neighbours don’t like her coming to their houses because of her TB. Even her sisters-in- law don’t like her coming over. But she tries to hide anywhere she can to avoid the medication. I then spend 15 to 20 minutes, carefully trying to guide her. I talk to her and, while we’re talking, I give her medicine to her.’ – Azra Jawaid, 45-year-old female, Treatment Supporter

‘I have planted this tree. I like it very much. I take care of it with my father. We get fresh air because of this tree.’ – Khurram Sharif, 21-year-old male, TB Patient

‘We go to pray in the church. I pray here with my whole family. We pray together. Thank God, I have been cured! No matter how unwell I feel, I still go to church. My husband really stood by me. My family members and people who would visit me also really supported me. When I was in a lot of pain, we would have prayers in our house and I would cry and pray. My pastor also used to pray [for me] a lot. I got many blessings from him. I thank God that today I can walk on my own feet. If you think too much or are very stressed, your illness will only get worse. If you stay happy, your illness will go away.’ – Sumaira Asif, 27-year-old female, TB Patient

‘This is that moment of happiness when I realized that I was getting better. So, in excitement, I picked up my son and threw him in the air. He had a habit of saying “Throw me up in the air!” Before, I couldn’t even pick him up. I couldn’t even hold his hand to help him walk. When I threw him in the air, I was thrilled. This showed that I’m now getting better. I felt very happy.’ – Saleem Ahmed, 27-year-old male, TB Patient

‘We are poor. Because of rising prices, we have opened a small shop. I thought I would get some money from it, but we still have no savings. My husband also works but he only gets a salary of six thousand rupees. From this, we pay our house rent. We also have to pay the bus fare to and from the hospital and buy some medication. We are very poor.’ – 26 year old female, TB Patient

‘In our house, there is a lot of disease and there is no one to treat it. My brother is the only one who can work, but even he does not have a job. My father is also unemployed and is a drug-user. Our house is also very small. Because of this unemployment, we can’t afford our medication.’ –18-year-old female, TB Patient

‘This is my niece. I love children. I used to sit with her, feed her, and give her love and affection. Maybe, because of this, my TB germs spread to her. Now, she is being treated at the Indus Hospital.’ – Nasir Hussain, 24-year-old male, TB Patient

‘In the neighbourhoods where TB patients live, because of this filth, clearly there are endless problems.’ – Naseem Hussain, 36-year-old female, Mother of a TB Patient

‘This is my son’s room. I have put a door netting so that he gets fresh air and light, which are good for his health. This is a good environment from a medical point of view. We have also separated his room.’ –Mohammad Sharif, 36-year-old male, Father of TB Patient