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Many of us in our lifetime will be touched by the epidemic of this century. It may not happen to us personally, but easily affect someone that we know. I am referring to HIV and AIDS. This dreadful and debilitating disease has taken friends and family away from us, and continues to strike more people each day.
It doesn't recognize boundaries. It doesn't care about gender or age. Race and religion play no part in its game. Yes, some people contract it through less than what most people call "acceptable" means - drugs and unprotected sex. However, many other people are taken away because of bad blood and unsafe medical procedures. These are the victims of this disease that we seem to feel the most pity for. These are the Ryan White's of the world and many more without names.
HIV/AIDS has touched my life in more than one way, from the worries as a young mother and her son with a heart condition, to losing many friends and acquaintances. I hate what this modern day plague has done to so many good and seemingly innocent people. I hear their stories of being depressed and downhearted because their friends are afraid to hug them or shake their hand. They can no longer hold their head up high in public due to the stamina of this being misjudged as the "gay man's" disease. The unfair and bias attitudes are what upset me the most.
Lack of education and misinformation are what cause people to be frightened of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. You cannot contract it through casual contact, sitting in the same room with them, or simply giving someone a hug. That small gesture is often what makes or breaks a relationship these days that involve a friend or acquaintance with this disease. I firmly believe that through the proper education of both young people and adults, the negative affect that HIV/AIDS has on us will diminish greatly.
Please, have a heart and remember that they are people just like you and me. They are not freaks in a sideshow at the local circus. They are human beings that have the same feelings and emotions that we share.
Through my many hours of community service and the friendships I hold near and dear, I have come to develop a special love for people with this disease. I wrote the following poem for a friend who died due to complications with AIDS from a blood transfusion. Take these words into your heart and think about the way that you can make a difference in someone's life today.
Remembrance
Now it is the time of year
For us to pray and shed a tear
For the one who knows she's dying
And is just to tired of crying
Time is running short
For life the way it must go
And death comes oh so easy
To those of us who know
We all can say good-bye
In our own private way
And try to ask God why
But don't know what to pray
Please oh God take care of her
And never let her go
Let the years of wasted time
Slip gently by, but not too slow
She's really fragile in her thoughts
But her heart is very strong
So bless her dying soul
Don't let her linger long
The time that she was here
Was oh so precious and grand
But now across the stepping stones
Needs the guidance of Your hand
Life hasn't been that easy
It was quite a trial to bear
But oh to have your trusting soul
And just to know you care
Has made the road much smoother
And the climbing not so rough
Thank you God for all you've done
Its been more than just enough
Now it is the time of year
To remember prayers and tears
For the one who knows she's dying
And is too content for crying |
