World Aids Day

Great day for awareness for this terrible disease.

Thank you for bringing this issue and its special day to our attention, Betty. There is so much ignorance and fear about HIV and AIDS. Even well-educated, intelligent people seem to connect AIDS only with homosexuality. There is a great need for education and research.

I had a friend who died from AIDS related complications the same week Anna Nicole Smith did. I met him at a place where we both worked, and he was terrified of computers so I helped him get one through freecycle then taught him how to use it. In the process we became close and he told me a lot of things - but the sad thing is that he died right when he had begun to have a renewed hope for life. He was making plans and getting out to do things instead of moping around like he had been for several years...

I was checked when I was pregnant. After having two miscarriages they checked me for everything under the sun including hepatitis a,b,c...x,y,z, and even measles. All tests were negative, but they said I had had the measles and I sure don't remember having them.

I had a good friend who died of aids. He was a wonderful, very intelligent, well educated, funny, multilingual, compassionate gay man. He didn't deserve that and the world lost a lot when he died.

When I was in high school, I went to my Senior Prom with my best guy friend. I didn't know it at the time, but he later came out of the closet and told me he was gay. We stayed in touch for many years after that, and then one day I heard the sad news that he had died with Aids. I miss him a lot.

I've lost innumerable friends to AIDS. I had sworn to myself that I would never get close to another gay man, I am a lesbian so that is a little hard to do. Then I found out that my oldest boy is gay. I had pounded into all my kids the importance of safe sex. I used to give my oldest boys friends (the entire football team) condoms that I got by the case from a friend who ran an AIDS program. A lot of these kids had "christian" parents and got killed if their parents found a condom. I didn't want them to die.

Through my oldest boy I met a wonderful man with AIDS, we have so much in common, except he makes me nuts if I'm with him too much. He's just a character. I was bi****ng to him that I didn't want to be friends with anymore guys with AIDS because I was tired of losing them. He then pointed out to me that I have a terminal illness also, so he was taking a risk too, DUH!

My daughter is a case manager for a project with our Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Center, where she works with homeless teens and try and get them some help. Many of these kids are kicked out because their parents can't tolerate them being gay. Some love huh! They do AIDS testing for them about once a week. Guess how a lot of these kids support themselves.

My BFF is in charge of a govt. agency here that distributes AIDS grants for a local govt. entity.

What I'm getting to is that I am surrounded by this horrible malady daily. I don't care if it's been 20 years since you've had sex. GET TESTED! HIV can lay dormant for years. Don't fool around with something that can kill you. There is usually a public health project that will do the test for free. It is anonymous and painless. Save your life, get a test. Send power and blessings to those who suffer and those who may be at risk.

Thanks Sharon, I will get tested. and I agree, some parents would rather see their children 6' under, instead of facing reality. Sad really,

I agree Michelle, I took it in school while in the nursing program, albeit I did not finish nursing, I learned so much. I instead went Lab Tech

Thanks for the links. This is certainly something we all need to be aware of.

Thanks for the links. Great reminder for a terrible disease.

I have never been tested for aids, but my grandson has,at age 17 he decided he wanted to be tested as he had had some sexual encounters when he was in school and was afraid , so he did get tested and was negative, so he has decided to remain celebate until he marries. I think this is a smart decision on his part. I wish more kids would realize the danger they are in and do the same. Good article Betty

GOOD ARTICLE...

Why do they call it "AIDS"? It's not like it's helping anyone! Am I right?

I have lost people to the disease. It is such an evil disease because it completely knocks you out.
I just received a newsletter in my email this morning from PAVE with an article about child rape in regions of South Africa. A myth is circulating that child rape will prevent and get rid of HIV--there were a lot of reasons given as to why this is believed. Since this myth began circulating, child rape has gone up 400%. Doesn't that just make your blood boil? Your stomach turn?
Education and aid is so necessary.

Bryan, I suspect you are only joking, but just in case you really aren't sure, AIDS is an acronym from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. When the illness first arose no one knew what it was or what caused it. Eventually they found the virus, the HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which can lead to the syndrome AIDS. Not everyone who is HIV positive has an active case of AIDS, but they can pass the viral infection and, thus, the disease on to anyone they have bodily fluid exchange with.

A dear friend and colleague died of AIDS. No disease is "evil" -- it's just mutated to find food, and at this point on the planet, humans are a MASSIVE food source. As our species numbers grow, more and more diseases will mutate toward us, or go virulent, because it won't hurt them to simply devour us and throw us away. HIV is still a disease of small tribes -- spreading by physical contact. There may soon be a time when it mutates into a far more efficient harvesting or civilization disease: it will air-vector. Then it will be as catchable as the common cold (which, by the way, has upgraded into lethal forms, because humans are so available, and with our high fat and sugar content, SO edible.).

Thanks for the articlle I wasn't aware of World Aids Day, but I'm am aware of AIDS and and know that fighting AIDS begins with awareness and education. I'm aware of AIDS impact in the African American community and the denial of the threat that AIDS posed in the early years. I'm African American born and raised on the southside of Chicago I know what I'm talking about first hand here. Now the situation is really bad. It's always best to deal with a problem when it's a small, that's reality. It this paticular (and in all cases I can think of) dealing with and addressing the issue of AIDS much earlier would have saved a lot of lives and dollars too. Now we are facing an up hill battle against AIDS around the world. It's winnable but could have been handled a lot better. It just goes to show that denial is more than a river in Egypt.

Thanks for sharing... this is a terrible disease and the side effects are far more debilitating than most people realize.

Thanks a bunch Betty

Thanks for this...I've been tested twice- once after I was raped, and again during my testing for a diagnosis (I have CFS) I it always scary...I don't lead a high risk life style, but you do think about it more...and knowing is better than wondering.
Stacie's comment just breaks my heart, it is so awful...

I had a boyfriend who died of AIDS... it was really sad...

Thanks for posting such a wonderful article. It is important and sooo many people still need to be educated. Teens in particular...they think, for the most part, that they are bullet proof and it will never happen to them.