World AIDS Day - And The Beat Goes On

This is my post from last year on World AIDS day with a few changes. This will be the 20th World AIDS day, come Dec 1 2007. It seems fitting to deja vu a post on AIDS as more things seem to stay the same. As long as we moralize the disease and monetize the cure and treatment, this will never end. The only thing that might save us is if people of faith start acting like their Gods, rather than playing them.

December 1st is World AIDS day. As a Gen X'er I have pretty much grown up under the specter of this disease. No free love, or swinging, or love the one your with (or whoever keys you fish out of the bowl) for my peers and myself. I remember hearing about AIDS for the first time as "GRID." Dan Rather looked somber and they had one of the medical charts that shows a heart rate. The tie in on that was always a bit hazy for me, since the end all, be all, do all result of this disease seemed to be NO heart beat. I remember the gay bashing and the bigotry that came with it. I remember the hysteria over things like drinking fountains.

I remember Ryan White, I remember Rock Hudson, I remember Bobby Campbell. I remember the sick feeling I had watching people protesting with signs saying they were "dying of red tape." I remember being very proud of the people in Act Up for the Wall Street demonstrations. I remember a rather unpleasant dinner conversation with an uncle who worked for Burroughs Welcome.

And I remember the faces of the people I took care of who were dying of AIDS.

From 1989-1991 I worked in an inner city hospital on the medical floor as a CNA. The hospital was located in a trendy area popular with Gen X'ers, artists, young families with children looking for a more urban lifestyle, and the gay and lesbian community. It also had a large housebound geriatric population and a growing homeless population. I was 20 when I started working there. You could say it had a profound affect on me.

In 17 months, I saw faces from each of these groups die of AIDS. The drag queens, the artists, the elderly, and the children were all represented. I remember the grandmother who beat cancer but died a year later at 83 from the blood transfusions she received. I remember the street people who died. At times, we didn't even know their real names. I remember the hemophiliac kids who were still fighting the disease when I left. I remember the street kids - teenagers- and their combative attitudes when given their diagnosis. It seemed impossible to them that they were 16 and would probably die before they reached legal drinking age. Can you blame them?

I remember Tony, who's family would have nothing to do with him. In their minds, AIDS was gods punishments for gays. Tony was a sweetheart. He was a stylist. His last words to me were some heartfelt advice on my hair and it's complete lack of style. Had he been able to give me the "do" he had in mind, I am sure I would have conquered the world. We were the same age. He was 22 when he died. **Update - Kidlet just found me a picture of his quilt in the Names Project online. It has been nearly 20 years since he died and not enough has changed. But the numbers keep going up, and the tears keep falling, don't they?

I remember Ollie and his love of Haagen Daz blueberry and cream swirl ice cream. I remember his love of papaya. I remember nearly falling over when he came back to visit us before his final relapse. He was back from Hawaii with papayas in hand. He was gorgeous. The last time I saw him he weighed a bit over 90 pounds while standing over 6 feet tall. I could carry him like I did my daughter. When she was two.

I remember Robert and the amazing bead work he did despite the fact that AIDS left him blind. He made the most intricate Indian moccasins. I remember walking in the AIDS walk the year he died. It was dedicated to his memory.

Most of all I remember Neal. And his cigarettes and how he nearly burned his bed down trying to smoke one. I remember the bags of Hershey's kisses he'd have his SO bring me every time I was scheduled to work. I remember his love of clear high heel pumps with the goldfish in the heels. That man could make me laugh like no one else. I miss you, Neal.

I remember the 20+ funerals I attended. I remember holding the hands of men with no families present. I remember both comforting and being comforted by life partners when death finally came. I remember the kind woman who was volunteering at the Names Project who was there with a hug and a box of tissues when I found the quilts of three of my patients and burst into tears looking at the ordinary reminders of lives that were gone and people who were no more.

I remember when the AIDS death total finally exceeded that of the Vietnam War. Over 58,000 dead from the virus. That was then.

Today, AIDS has killed over 25 million people and there are over 33 million living with it. In developing nations people are dying for lack of medicines that cost less than the average candy bar. TWIX or death?

Our politicians are only as good as we make them be. Hold them accountable. If enough people stand up and demand they do something about AIDS and all the stupid poverty related deaths that could be avoided, they will. Remind them that it's not about charity, it's about justice.

The changes we need may not happen tomorrow, or next month, or next year. But if we keep making noise, they will happen, and maybe today's kids will not have to live in a world where a child dies every three seconds from AIDS and poverty. Make noise for these people. Make noise for my kid and her friends. Make noise for your kids or the children in your family.

Please visit One.org and sign the declaration.

HIV: Key Facts and Dates

1981 First documented case of AIDS (then referred to as GRID)
1982 AIDS first used as a term and is detected on five continents
1985 Rock Hudson first public figure to be known to have died of AIDS
1986 Needle exchanges first piloted in the UK
1987 Don’t Die of Ignorance campaign
1987 Photographs of Princess Diana holding the hand of an AIDS patient broadcast around the world
1987 First form of anti-retro viral treatment available (AZT) in the US
1987 National AIDS Trust founded
1987 First successful form of HIV ‘anti-body’ tests widely available in the UK
1988 First World AIDS Day held
1989 First HIV awareness materials targeted at gay men produced by Health Education Authority
1990 Mark Fowler diagnosed HIV positive on Eastenders
1991 Half of the 500,000 people living with HIV in the West had died
1991 Freddie Mercury died
1991 Red ribbon becomes the international symbol of HIV
1991 Princess Diana becomes patron of the National AIDS Trust
1991 Number of people infected with HIV worldwide reaches 10 million
1995 The film Philadelphia screened
1995 First combination therapy treatment available in the US dramatically improving the life chances of people living with HIV
1996 UNAIDS established
1999 90% of all people living with HIV are in the developing world
2001 Pharmaceutical companies abandon court case against South Africa’s Treatment Access Campaign, allowing generic production of anti-retrovirals for the first time
2002 Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria set up to increase funding to fight the world’s biggest killer diseases. As of 2007 Only 28% of people with AIDS in developing countries are getting the medicines they need

Today 33.2 million people with AIDS worldwide. 25 million have died. There are 12 million AIDS orphans.

After 20 months, (RED) Products have funnelled over 50 million dollars into the Global Fund. Shop Smart. Shop RED Smart.

The Jubilee Act

Here is the latest on the Jubilee Act from One.org. Please, take a moment and email your representative and ask them to support this important bill. Rather than email 4 people I am putting the challenge out to you guys to take 2 minutes and make a difference.

" If you've ever fallen behind on your bills or watched a friend struggle to make the monthly payment on a credit card, you know how devastating debt can be. Now imagine entire countries in the developing world—countries already struggling to lift their people out of extreme poverty—facing mountains of debt they didn't ask for and can't afford to pay.

Across the developing world, from Haiti to Lesotho, countries that should be distributing AIDS drugs, building schools and fighting hunger are trapped by billions of dollars of debt—debt often racked up by corrupt rulers who used the money to enrich themselves and used the future of their terrorized people as collateral.

A bill in Congress would cancel that debt for countries that commit to using the savings for poverty reduction, giving dozens of nations and millions of people a real chance at a better future. That bill is the Jubilee Act, and there is man who is dying to get it passed.

Reverend David Duncombe is taking 40 days off from his day job to walk the halls of Congress, asking our elected officials to support debt cancellation and the Jubilee Act. For 40 days, he's stretching his body to the very limits of human survival to pressure Congress to cancel the debt. And we can help him.

His 40 day fast ends October 17th on the Global Day of Action Against Poverty. That gives us one week to back up his fast with our voices. Let's all take action and send 40,000 letters to the U.S. House of Representatives—1,000 letters for each day of the fast—asking for support for the Jubilee Act and an end to the debt trap.

Debt is the kind of crisis that can hold back an entire continent. Sub-Saharan Africa pays $13 billion in debt service to wealthy nations and financial institutions every year, almost enough to pay for life-saving drugs to reverse the AIDS crisis that claims 7,000 lives each day.

And in 2000, when Tanzania's debt was cancelled, that government was able to eliminate school fees, sending 1.5 million children to school almost overnight.

For 40 days, Reverend Duncombe is fasting and telling our elected officials about the promise debt relief holds for people who are as hungry as he is. We can add 40,000 voices to his by asking our Representatives to support the Jubilee Act and lead on debt cancellation.

On October 17th, as anti-poverty advocates, we're supposed to Stand Up! for the Global Day of Action Against Poverty. Rev. Duncombe may be too weak to physically take to his feet that day. But by sending 40,000 letters we can stand up for him and send the message that debt cancellation is a smart way to fight poverty and a clear example of America's leadership in the world.

ONE by ONE, thousand by thousand, we can give strength to Rev. Duncombe's fast for the Jubilee Act, even as his strength runs out. 40,000 of us can stand up and tell Congress to pass the Jubilee Act and end the cycle of debt and poverty in the developing world.

Thank you for your voice,

Josh Peck, ONE.org

P.S. Believe in what Reverend Duncombe is doing? Want to help us reach our goal of 40,000 letters in support of his 40 day fast? Take a minute to forward this email to four friends and ask them to support the Jubilee Act, too."



You can help this important bill move forward by taking action here: The 40 Day Fast for the Jubilee Act.

Then go learn more about Stand Up Speak Out Against Poverty.

Thanks!

Hallmark Joins The RED Family

There are some great Product RED items available at Hallmark now. Just in time for Christmas, you can get wrapping paper that will do more than ended up wadded up in the garbage!

HALLMARK RED

ONE VOTE '08, pt 2

Yesterday's call was really pretty cool. I will update my blog with info on any future calls. Frist and Daschle were quite articulate and it the diversity of people involved was great. If you have not already, please, go sign the petition at ONE.ORG and if you have signed already head on over and sign up for the mailing list for ONE Vote '08. Republican, Democrat, or Mickey Mouse For President supporters welcome!

ONE Vote '08

I am throwing this up for those of you interested in participating in a Nationwide Conference call today with ONE.org and our Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls. It is very easy just click HERE to get to the main information and registration page. The folks at ONE.org will give you a call today at 7:30PM EST and give you the chance to participate in this discussion being co-sponsored by Tom Daschle and Bill Frist.

Wordless Wednesday 17 - We Get To Carry Each Other

The Price of Peace
Never Again?
The Polish Anne Frank
ONE
The Global Fund

Peace is more than just a lack of guns. It is basic human rights and dignity. Thanks to Mimi for creating this project.

One Love, One Blood, One Life

You Got To Do What You Should

December 1st is World AIDS day. As a Gen X'er I have pretty much grown up under the specter of this disease. No free love, or swinging, or love the one your with (or whoever's keys you fish out of the bowl) for my peers and myself. I remember hearing about AIDS for the first time as "GRID." Dan Rather looked somber and they had one of the medical charts that shows a heart rate. The tie in on that was always a bit hazy for me, since the end all, be all, do all result of this disease seemed to be NO heart beat. I remember the gay bashing and the bigotry that came with it. I remember the hysteria over things like drinking fountains.

I remember Ryan White, I remember Rock Hudson, I remember Bobby Campbell. I remember the sick feeling I had watching people protesting with signs saying they were "dying of red tape." I remember being very proud of the people in Act Up for the Wall Street demonstrations. I remember a rather unpleasant dinner conversation with an uncle who worked for Burroughs Welcome.

And I remember the faces of the people I took care of who were dying of AIDS.

From 1989-1991 I worked in an inner city hospital on the medical floor as a CNA. The hospital was located in a trendy area popular with Gen X'ers, artists, young families with children looking for a more urban lifestyle, and the gay and lesbian community. It also had a large housebound geriatric population and a growing homeless population.

In 17 months, I saw faces from each of these groups die of AIDS. The drag queens, the artists, the elderly, and the children were all represented. I remember the grandmother who beat cancer but died a year later at 83 from the blood transfusions she received. I remember the street people who died. At times, we didn't even know their real names. I remember the hemophiliac kids who were still fighting the disease when I left. I remember the street kids - teenagers- and their combative attitudes when given their diagnosis. It seemed impossible to them that they were 16 and would probably die before they reached legal drinking age. Can you blame them?

I remember Tony, who's family would have nothing to do with him. In their minds, AIDS was gods punishments for gays. Tony was a sweetheart. He was a stylist. His last words to me were some heartfelt advice on my hair and it's complete lack of style. Had he been able to give me the "do" he had in mind, I am sure I would have conquered the world. We were the same age. He was 22 when he died.

I remember Ollie and his love of Haagen Daz blueberry and cream swirl ice cream. I remember his love of papaya. I remember nearly falling over when he came back to visit us before his final relapse. He was back from Hawaii with papayas in hand. He was gorgeous. The last time I saw him he weighed a bit over 90 pounds while standing over 6 feet tall. I could carry him like I did my daughter. When she was two.

I remember Robert and the amazing bead work he did despite the fact that AIDS left him blind. He made the most intricate Indian moccasins. I remember walking in the AIDS walk the year he died. It was dedicated to his memory.

Most of all I remember Neal. And his cigarettes and how he nearly burned his bed down trying to smoke one. I remember the bags of Hershey's kisses he'd have his SO bring me every time I was scheduled to work. I remember his love of clear high heel pumps with the goldfish in the heels. That man could make me laugh like no one else. I miss you, Neal.

I remember the 20+ funerals I attended. I remember holding the hands of men with no families present. I remember both comforting and being comforted by life partners when death finally came. I remember the kind woman who was volunteering at the Names Project who was there with a hug and a box of tissues when I found the quilts of three of my patients and burst into tears looking at the ordinary reminders of lives that were gone and people who were no more.

I remember when the AIDS death total finally exceeded that of the Vietnam War. Over 58,000 dead from the virus. That was then.

Today, AIDS has killed over 30 million people. 90% of them in developing countries where kids die every single day from lack of medicines that cost less than your average candy bar.

Our politicians are only as good as we make them be. Hold them accountable. If enough people stand up and demand they do something about AIDS and all the stupid poverty related deaths that could be avoided, they will. Remind them that it's not about charity, it's about justice.

The changes we need may not happen tomorrow, or next month, or next year. But if we keep making noise, they will happen, and maybe todays kids will not have to live in a world where a child dies every three seconds from AIDS and poverty. Make noise for these people. Make noise for my kid and her friends. Make noise for your kids or the children in your family.

Please visit One.org and sign the declaration.

25 years of HIV: key dates
worldaidsday.org

1981 First documented case of AIDS (then referred to as GRID)
1982 AIDS first used as a term and is detected on five continents
1985 Rock Hudson first public figure to be known to have died of AIDS
1986 Needle exchanges first piloted in the UK
1987 Don’t Die of Ignorance campaign
1987 Photographs of Princess Diana holding the hand of an AIDS patient broadcast around the world
1987 First form of anti-retroviral treatment available (AZT) in the US
1987 National AIDS Trust founded
1987 First successful form of HIV ‘anti-body’ tests widely available in the UK
1988 First World AIDS Day held
1989 First HIV awareness materials targeted at gay men produced by Health Education Authority
1990 Mark Fowler diagnosed HIV positive on Eastenders
1991 Half of the 500,000 people living with HIV in the West had died
1991 Freddie Mercury died
1991 Red ribbon becomes the international symbol of HIV
1991 Princess Diana becomes patron of the National AIDS Trust
1991 Number of people infected with HIV worldwide reaches 10 million
1995 The film Philadelphia screened
1995 First combination therapy treatment available in the US dramatically improving the life chances of people living with HIV
1996 UNAIDS established
1999 90% of all people living with HIV are in the developing world
2001 Pharmaceutical companies abandon court case against South Africa’s Treatment Access Campaign, allowing generic production of anti-retrovirals for the first time
2002 Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria set up to increase funding to fight the world’s biggest killer diseases
2003 The 3 x 5 initiative launched to get treatment to 3 million people by 2005
2005 40 million people with AIDS worldwide. Globally only 1.3 million people have access to treatment