Can the Internet save lives? Charles Maloba certainly thinks so, his life was saved by the Internet.

Charles lives in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, and suffers from Sickle Cell Anaemia, a disorder of the red blood cells. When Charles suffered a serious attack and slipped into a coma his doctor, Joseph Ofisi, realised that the situation was desperate and turned to the Internet to find out what specialists in the field were doing.

The website, SatelLife HealthNet allowed him to access the latest medical information and post a message on the electronic bulletin board, describing Charles' symptoms and asking for help. In just 5 minutes he had a reply from a specialist in London suggesting a new course of treatment.

Charles responded well and awoke from his coma.

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