When Reuben Muriki fainted(晕倒) while doing a chore(日常杂活) in the compound of his home near the horticultural town of Timau in central Kenya several years ago, it marked the start of a series of(一连串的) increasingly serious health episodes(（疾病的）发作).
几年前，鲁本·穆里基在肯尼亚中部园艺小镇蒂马附近自家院子里干活时晕倒了。从那以后，他的健康问题接二连三地出现，而且一次比一次严重。
His joints became swollen(肿胀的), his skin became discoloured(变色的) and he found breathing difficult. He was in and out of hospital(频繁进出医院), and was forced to quit his work as a pesticide sprayer(喷洒器；喷药工) at a flower farm. Doctors treated him for suspected tuberculosis(肺结核) in vain(徒劳无功).
他的关节肿了起来，皮肤变了色，呼吸也变得困难。他频繁进出医院，不得不辞去在花卉农场喷洒农药的工作。医生曾怀疑他得了肺结核并加以治疗，却毫无效果。
“He would often fall and completely lose consciousness(失去知觉),” his mother, Margaret Mwanjaro, said in their living room in Mukuri village.
“他常常摔倒，完全失去知觉，”他的母亲玛格丽特·姆万贾罗在他们位于穆库里村的客厅里说道。