Faces in the quilt -- Local display brings global AIDS crisis home
By: MISSY PETERSON - Commentary | ∞
A piece of the AIDS quilt on display at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad this week memorializes Blake Henry, an avid sailor. The section was made from the sail of his boat, The Peanut.
Photo Courtesy of MISSY PETERSON
Friday, Dec. 1, was World AIDS Day, the international day of remembrance and renewal of our commitment to the battle against HIV and AIDS.
Here is the world's shortest version of HIV/AIDS 101:
In 1985, scientists discovered the HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, which, if left untreated, slowly damages the body's immune system. Without a strong, healthy immune system, the body becomes susceptible to many infections and illnesses. If a person living with HIV becomes sick with one of the more serious types of these infections, they are said to have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. While there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, many people in the U.S. are living longer, productive lives, thanks to HIV medicines and aggressive treatment programs. I'll clarify that by adding ---- if you have access to services. And such access is certainly not the case for people living in developing countries around the world where medicines are out of the financial reach of most all people, even if there is infrastructure to deliver services and drugs.
You can't get HIV-infected by drinking from a water fountain; sitting on a toilet seat; hugging, touching or kissing an HIV-infected person; or by eating off plates and utensils. The HIV virus is transmitted from person to person through the exchange of body fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal secretions. This is most often associated with sexual contact, but HIV can be transmitted by exposure to infected blood through transfusions or shared needles to inject drugs, by accidental needle sticks or through the transfusion of infected blood or blood products; or an HIV-infected woman can pass HIV to her baby while pregnant, during delivery or when breast-feeding.
Those are the facts about HIV/AIDS. But more important than the facts are the faces.
So what does the face of HIV/AIDS look like? Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad recently had panels from the Names Project Memorial Quilt on display. And there were some local faces in that display this year.
There is Lupe, who, with her four youngest children, lived in the Valle Verde migrant camp in South Carlsbad. She came to the U.S. to make a better life for her children and wanted to own a flower shop one day. She became infected with HIV by her second husband and did not live to see her dream.
There is Blake, who was deeply loved by his family and loved performance and his sailboat, The Peanut. His panel is made from the sail of that boat, and there is a little picture of the boat sailing away over the rainbow.
And there is also John, who worked for Amtrak and loved art. His tie makes up part of the train engine on his panel. John's mother and Blake's mother help others make panels for their loved ones every year at Pilgrim. These panels are then submitted to the Names Project, to become a permanent part of The Quilt.
Every soul who has ever lost the battle with AIDS is someone's son or daughter. They had friends and lovers, partners and spouses, and families, pets, jobs and passions. And they loved life. They were just like me. And just like you. And in the U.S., in the beginning, they died quick, and young. They continued to become infected and died because of a lack of concern, or understanding, or education ---- but really, it was mostly because the majority of them belonged to a community that those in power just didn't care much about.
Today, around the world there are literally millions of people who become infected and die for the exact same reason. AIDS has become the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. Since 1985, AIDS has killed more than 25 million people ---- that is more than the combined population of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Every week AIDS claims as many lives around the world as there were American fatalities in the Vietnam War.
AIDS today has more complicated and far-reaching implications than ever before. Women in developing countries are contracting HIV/AIDS at alarming rates because they have few rights and choices in life, especially choices that protect them from HIV. Fifteen million children have already been orphaned, and 6,000 more children become AIDS orphans every day. Today, if all these children held hands, they would stretch across the United States 5 1/2 times. By 2011, unless something changes, this virtual chain will reach all the way around the world. The global pandemic that HIV/AIDS has become transcends religious, party, economic and national boundaries.
But it's all so overwhelming, right? This is a huge issue, and I am only one person. What can I do? Well, here are some ideas.
Wear a red ribbon, and tell everyone who asks you the facts about HIV and AIDS.
Go to One.org and join the One Campaign's amazingly successful efforts to build a global community of people calling for compassion and justice to help the poorest people in the world overcome AIDS and extreme poverty.
Write letters to your elected officials and demand more education in our schools, and health care for those who don't have it and funding for continued research.
Locally, you can get involved with Fraternity House in Escondido or Michaelle House in Vista, the only two licensed facilities in San Diego County for those living with AIDS. You can cook a meal, do some yard work, be a buddy to a resident living in one of the houses for a couple of hours a week ---- or you can call Marie Jones-Kirk, the director, and ask her what she needs.
So now, for today ---- think about the faces of the people I've told you about. They are calling out to you "Remember me ---- I am the face of HIV/AIDS." Honor their lives by educating yourself about the issues of HIV/AIDS. And remember, it's really not about the numbers. It's about your neighbors.
Oceanside resident Missy Peterson is the AIDS Coordinator for Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad.
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DJ wrote on Dec 4, 2006 5:30 AM:I read several comments by people on earlier articles about AIDS day. The most telling and educated, in my opinion were from PJ. He mentioned that catching HIV/AIDS is "usually" from high risk behaviors. One of the other biggest problems is that research shows that homosexuals are choosing to engage in these behaviors again unprotected and this is causing a new wave of "preventable" infections. The research shows that they are doing this to PROVE their love to their partners! So if the affected population won't stop / police themselves why should we, the taxpayers, want to throw good money after bad to fund research? The homosexual population MUST take responsibility for their actions and police their community! Make it COMPLETELY wrong to engage in these activities and send the right message!
Ben wrote on Dec 4, 2006 9:43 AM:With the number of cancer victims still rising it seems that the money for research should go to this series of diseases that, for the most part are not preventable! HIV/AIDS is a tragic disease that is being spread to more and more innocent people by accident BUT there are precautions that can be taken and education that helps prevent the spread. Tax dollars should be concentrated on diseases that are not preventable, not on the politically correct diseases such as AIDS. The homosexual community can and should take responsibility for this disease and take a high profile stand against those participating in high risk behaviors that spread the disease.
to DJ wrote on Dec 4, 2006 11:37 AM:...and while you're at it, let's make all the straight teens pay for their unprotected sex by forcing them to keep their babies and live with their std's. Maybe we can bring back stoning for adulterers. How about fat diabetics being denied research and medicine because they don't stop eating the wrong things...By the way, the "affected population" isn't just gay men...it can be anyone - maybe even someone you know and love.
Reardon wrote on Dec 5, 2006 8:42 PM:For more than a decade I have heard that "education is the answer to AIDS." At some point, we need to ask, "Are there 12 people alive who do not know how you get AIDS?" I agree that it is not exclusively a gay disease...but it is almost certainly a promiscuity disease -- heterosexual and homosexual. It is a disease that will be stopped only with monogamy -- homosexual or heterosexual -- or even long-term serial monogamy plus protection. We have taken some steps against the “other” self-induced deadly disease, smoking tobacco, and at some point we need to address all transmitted disease, PC or no PC. STDs and baby’s having babies do not transmit deadly disease in a serial manner…but the problem is not heterosexual or homosexual – it is promiscuity. Risky behavior between two monogamous homosexuals (or heterosexuals) is not a threat to civilization.
NL wrote on Dec 5, 2006 9:44 PM:I am shocked by a few of the comments here. I thought people had lost a lot of these stereotypical attitudes. I am a woman who has lived with HIV for over 16 years. At the time I became infected I was married. My Husband had a few secrets I didn't know about. I was not at any time in my life "promiscuous." HIV can happen to anyone. Let's lose the judgement!
Ben wrote on Dec 6, 2006 5:14 AM:It's about money and what is politically correct! The fact is AIDs has been the politically correct disease for the last 10+ years, while diseases like breat cancer and others have seen their funding streams dry up. This is NOT right! Most cancers happen without a known cause or because of heredity, while HIV/AIDs have very straight forward causes that ARE preventable. I grant you that people like NL above are ture victims and I feel for her but when my mother, my sister, my wife, come down with cancer for no known reason and there isn't enough money for research then I must take a stand, not a judgement! When people like me and my family must walk 60 miles to raise money for breast cancer because AIDs is getting the federal research grants then yes, I have a problem with that!
I repeat: wrote on Dec 6, 2006 11:41 AM:PJ wrote on November 30, 2006 7:00 PM:"A terrible disease that humans are usually exposed to when participating in risky behaviors. There are many such diseases brought on by participation in risky behaviors. It would be good for all to remember that when making the choice to participate in a risk that subjects us to such diseases, it could be the choice that changes our life forever, and probably not for the better."
I repeat again: wrote on Dec 6, 2006 11:42 AM:PJ to keep hope wrote on December 01, 2006 9:04 PM:"if you read my comment you'll notice the phrase "usually exposed to when participating in risky behaviors". As a health care provider in a large clinic where several hundred HIV positive clients receive their primary care, I know what I am speaking about. Participating in risky behavior (multiple sex partners, homosexual sex and IV drug use) are the primary behaviors that spread this disease and other diseases. As far as "pressuring reps to fund money into research ", I can think of no other disease that has drummed up support and political attention and funding like AIDS has. When one thinks of the years and years scientist have been working on curing cancer compared to AIDS research which started approx. 26 years ago and the gigantic strides AIDS research has gained in prolonging life compared to many cancers that still carry a death sentence, it's pretty interesting. Something about being politically correct, again. I can attest to the fact that there are MANY programs that assist HIV+ patients in meeting all medical costs. What question does a cancer patient ask? "How am I ever going to pay for all this treatment?" Oh yes, the special programs to pay for HIV patients are available for legal and illegal patients alike. I think the American people are being pretty "compassionate and supportive of the cause"."
Reardon wrote on Dec 7, 2006 8:01 PM:NL was a victim of her husband's promiscuity -- when we throttle promiscuity through social pressure, we throttle AIDS. Yes, there are innocent victims of AIDS, but the innocent are the victims of the promiscuity.
Nicole wrote on Feb 3, 2007 2:03 PM:Reading these comments, I can't help but think, "My god, why are these people arguing over the importance of one victim over another?" There are innocent victims of AIDS and there are victims of cancer, like HPV, who were the cause of their own disease. While we can argue that promiscuity is a big problem in our country because it does lead to the spread of STD's, can we really argue that the lives of those suffering from one deadly disease are greater than the lives of those suffering from another? Everyone has made mistakes in their lives and, based on the number of people with AIDS and the numbers of women with HPV (80% of women will contract it within their lives), we can see that at least a good portion of the population has made these same mistakes. Not all, mind you, but a significant number. This being known, why are we arguing over who gets what and why? Instead of petitioning the government to decrease funding from one disease to benefit another, why not petition for an increase of funding for all deadly diseases, because they ARE so prominent? I cannot believe that people who have or know and love someone with a deadly illness can actually say that someone else, in their same position, is less worthy because their disease has a stigma. All life is precious... isn't that what we should be stressing?
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