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Proof Positive
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Submitted by hubbell68 on March 19, 2009 - 8:58pm.
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Well, it took me quite a few years but sadly I now have some close friends who are HIV-positive. One is recently diagnosed, while the other has been positive for years. One is on no meds whatsoever (his immune system is still doing fine), while the other has recently felt like a guinea pig as he tries new regimens, trying to boost his T-cell count. One doesn't give his positive status much thought (it's still too early to dwell on it), while I can sense some fear in the other. My brother recently commented that it seems as though you "never hear much about AIDS anymore" and, to an extent, he's right. Though there are certainly better drug cocktails that greatly prolong the lifespan of those with HIV, there's a lack of urgency about the disease that existed in the 1980's and continued well into the 1990's. It's a dangerous thing; younger men are now led to believe that HIV is akin to diabetes, something chronic but manageable. I'm not sure the pal I have who's been positive for years would agree with that. When I got my last HIV test back in October the counselor I spoke to talked about some of the terrible side effects current AIDS drugs can oftentimes come with; it was enough to scare anyone from ever having sex again. When I look at my two close friends, at opposite ends of the HIV spectrum, I can't help but feel that we're doing a great disservice by NOT talking about this disease more. True, the battle against it has yielded great results in only thirty years (which is, when you think about it, pretty impressive...big strides have been made in a relatively short span of time). But when I speak to my one friend, who talks about losing his teeth, about his bouts of nausea, the sleepless nights, and the lack of desire in wanting to leave his apartment some days I can't help but think we still have a long way to go. I'm sure he would agree. Over and Out, Darren M. |
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