In December, I contracted falciparum malaria (the most dangerous type of malaria) as a tourist in Madagascar.

Because I had visited Madagascar every year for the past 12 years, I took my health for granted and forgot to take my preventative malaria medication two days in a row. This is when a mosquito bite infected me with malaria. However, I didn’t feel sick until I got back to France. I was fortunate enough to fall sick back home but spent five days in the hospital. While recovering, I came to realize that I had been very lucky. I also realized that not everyone in the world has this kind of luck or privilege. I had been very ill but I got well again. So I wanted to help and redistribute my luck. My privilege.

Before I fell sick, I had planned to run my second marathon in Rome, which is coming up on March 21st. I am even more motivated to run it now, perhaps more slowly than planned, but for a good cause! I am currently raising funds for Malaria No More and for African families who need our help.

See Clotilde’s donation page here.

Tags: Clotilde Gimond, Guest Post, Madagascar

Tags: Clotilde Gimond, Guest Post, Madagascar
Categories:On-The-Ground, Uncategorized