Behavioral Problem?

Before anyone reads further, I'm going to admit I've been in a totally grumpy mood all week. Maybe it's the rain, my schedule interfering with gym time or too many girl scout cookies. Whatever. I'm just grumpy. So I start out my day by reading a great article about providing HIV drugs to communities in South Africa as a way to slow the epidemic and felt one of those great surges of hope. Then, I read a reader response questioning why money is being thrown at a behavioral problem. GGGRRRrrrrrr.

For starters, it isn't hard to see that the reader (R) doesn't know a lot about the complexities behind the variety of ways HIV is transmitted. R is also not likely to know anyone with HIV because, quite frankly, if I were HIV positive - R doesn't sound like the comforting sole I would seek out. So R remains in the dark. Odds are, R does know someone with HIV - R just doesn't know it. I wonder if R has ever had a conversation with someone who lost a loved one to AIDS? To me, that's an even sadder place to be.

The first thing that hit me when I read R's comment was a discussion from a Disciples Bible Study class years ago as we contemplated what the Ten Commandments really mean. We spent a lot of time thinking about how "Thou shalt not murder" can make the majority of us say "hey, I'm clean on this one!!" But we questioned - are we? The wounds inflicted on another person's sole through my words or actions can certainly slowly kill a part of who they are - a precious creation of God. Over 30 years, we have come so far in HIV medications so it is no longer a death sentence in itself. However, we still have the same stigma issues that existed 30 years ago. To me, THAT is the behavioral problem.

My dream is for a safe world - one person at a time. My dream is to find a cure - and, yes, that requires throwing money at this. I'm very proud and honored to share my resources and passion to try to make things better for even one person. I'm also very proud and honored that I have friends who have joined me in this. To each of you, thank you. You are so needed.

". . . treatment as prevention isn't just a buzz word floating around health conferences but a promising strategy for stopping HIV — even in a part of the world with one of the most severe AIDS epidemics." - NPR -- Jason Beaubien

However, WE still have to make it safe for everyone to know and manage their status. Yes, that stigma thing again.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/22/172520096/the-whole-community-gets-a-health-boost-from-hiv-treatment