GETTING TO ZERO

        With World AIDS Day right around the corner (December 1st) I have been putting allot of thought into what I can do to contribute to this cause. In 2014 my sister and I are teaming up to host a first Annual World AIDS Day Event in honor of my mother who passed away of AIDS in 2004. 
Our Goal is to encourage the community to continue to educate and provide awareness to prevent the continuous spread of HIV/AIDS.  HIV/AIDS prevention has become an important part of my life ever since the day that my mother sat my siblings and me down and revealed to us that she had contracted AIDS. I remember not fully understanding the full extent of the disease then. However,the only thing that stuck in my mind was my mother stating that she was going to die. At that time I was only eight years old and because of the taboo that the name HIV/AIDS held it was nothing to mention at a dinner or to friends.  From that day on we never discussed the issue but were only given bits and pieces of information from my mother as she became more aware.

It was not until attending Huston-Tillotson University at the age 18 when I became an HIV/AIDS mentor that I fully gained the knowledge and understanding of the disease and virus. From then on it became my duty to educate my fellow peers and community members in the Austin area. After meeting so many individuals who had become affected by the HIV or Aids I began to understand a portion of God’s plan for my life. My mother passed away in 2004, and the last thing I want is for some eight year old boy or girl to find out that her parent had contracted HIV/AIDS and would now die. With research and the development of HIV/AIDS treatment many people who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS have been gifted the opportunity to live longer and healthier lives. Since 2000 the cost of HIV/AIDS Treatment for one person was more than $10K a year now in 2013 it is less than $100.

Since HIV/AIDS was given its name, people who contract the AIDS or HIV have been ostracized by their family, peers, and community.  The respect and lack of compassion for these individuals only encourages me to help in advocating for people that are affected by HIV/AIDS.  HIV/AIDS is a topic that I hold dear to my heart not only because of my experiences with the disease/virus, but because there is no cure.  I am confident that my purpose in life is to use the experiences that I have overcome in my own life to educate the world and help save lives.  The only way to create more awareness about prevention and support is to educate ourselves and our community.