HIV Info

One day, we're up and the other we're down. All of us are tossed into a topsy-turvy existence called life. Extreme measures are present, but everyday, we try to fight it off with unwavering faith and courage. Life is a series of challenging tests. Even AIDS victims are bestowed with free will. But when it comes to life and death, is it still our choice to make?

The world can always proclaim care and compassion for social distress and misery. But the truth never changes -- those inflicted with HIV or AIDS are still treated with disdain. We treat victims no more than guinea pigs for medical research and breakthroughs. Yet, we fail to heal their ailing body and souls. When will discrimination ever stop? When everybody has fallen off the edge and taken their own lives?

What is life without family? Without love and care? When you're dying slowly into rift and pain, suicide may seem a seductive choice. This is an alarm for people with HIV or AIDS and like Carlos Martines, a Mexican carpenter inflicted with the vicious disease, victims choose to break free from unrelenting society. I hear stories about suicide everyday. Nothing has changed but the names of those who have given up to the battle.

When it comes to sex and crimes, the Vatican is never without a say. They're like overprotective parents who'll stand and fight for his child. They are spiritual warriors with a religious mandate to combat evil and stop the contamination of the precious society. Well, in a way, they are that, so can we blame our leaders when they are vehement against the use of condoms? Maybe not, but what if AIDS continue to kill their people? Will they still be stubborn to say that even safe sex can't be a cure?

The Catholic Church claims that the use of condom is not an effective way to ward off the deadly HIV virus. Whether or not countries stricken with AIDS will listen, they'll have to take a stand. There are claims that the safe-sex plastic is impermeable; though the World Health Organization was quick to rebuff their contention, the Vatican continues to protest and advises its faithful followers not to trust the safe sex method. Condoms are not only unsafe, they also promote promiscuity, according to a Vatican bishop. So the war of science and faith is on, once again!

The World Health Organization released a statement against the Vatican's clamor, saying that incorrect views about condom and safe sex may further expose people to danger and more fatal risks of disease. Millions of people are killed and more are doomed to suffer from this devious affliction. The medical organization firmly stands by their contention that there's no truth to the Vatican's protest that condoms are defective in stopping the transmission of a dreaded virus. In fact, WHO confirmed that consistent use of condom is a way to save people.

There are glorious days and there are dubious ways, and man always finds himself in the middle of all its besetting danger. When you’'re healthy and mighty, you exhaust all of life’'s possibilities. Money, sex, and luxury-- they all thrive in your audacious living. You seem to have it all, but fate will always claim its price. Once you'’re inflicted with this deadly disease, you forget the meaning of life. They say AIDS is a killer! It kills the hopes and the dreams of a person. But a victim can only fade with nothing but disgrace if he wavers in his faith.

Jamie is 22, a charming, remarkable, and witty person. Perfect stats, actually! Only, he can no longer have a baby, never build a family. But he refuses to call himself a victim. He’ had the best days of his life and even if he's not in the perfect situation now, he resigned himself to faith. He'’s not a pious believer, although deep within, his soul is a warrior. "I've had troubling nights when I'’m left alone in my condo with nothing but fear and despair!"” Jamie confessed. It all changed one day when he got to see Oprah and the story of famine in Africa. He might still be lucky, he thought.

According to Jamie, living with AIDS is not the worst thing that could possibly happen to anyone. He said that we are all born as equals. For him, it might be AIDS but for others, it can be a broken family, unrequited love, famine, and disaster. Society only makes its own misery when in fact, he’ considers deafness and blindness more dreadful than having HIV. Jamie’ is an art director, and this is the most fruitful venture of his life. He also fears of dying one day, but at least he was able to see what he needed to see. He’ heard the most crucial comments and savored the best moments. With that, he may be a sinner, but he’'ll be a winner when he leaves his world. Jamie is a champion of his own strength and faith!

Nowadays, men rival women when it comes to vanity. You will find them as frequent guests in salons, boutiques and spas. And this vainglory has produced metrosexuals in our society. Nothing to fear but while they update and remodel their haircuts with designers and stylists, have they taught of getting a trim for their foreskin down there? They say circumcision can cut off the risk in acquiring HIV or AIDS.

Is circumcision a cut to prevent HIV and AIDS? Certain studies suggest that uncircumcised men are predisposed to sexually transmitted infections, hence, to a more dreaded infliction of the HIV virus. However, in case of UAI or unprotected annal intercouse, there is less conclusive reason to believe that circumcision may ward off the insidious virus. Perhaps, this is why there are more male homosexuals who suffer from the fatal infection aside from the social stigma.

So what should be the fear of uncircumcised men? Well, Langerhans cells found on the inner surface of the foreskin are HIV receptors. During the sexual activity, it becomes susceptible to traumatic ephithelial disruptions. More so, there is higher risk of ulcerative sexually transmitted infection when the foreskin is intact and thus exposing men to HIV acquisition. Will this be reason enough to make you go trimming the foreskin?

A virus that has developed into full-blown AIDS cripples our immune system. But I dare say it maims our souls. How many families have been broken apart? How many workers driven out of their careers? Even some churches prohibit them from taking communion and confession. Of course, all we hear about is the intensive research for treating AIDS. We even see Bono cry out for help. But how is it out there in the jungle of social discrimination? Aren't victims a social prey of stigma and deprivation? We keep our eyes close from their yearning. We all wish to treat AIDS but first let us heal our ailing souls on the road to perdition.

We often hear about the inspirational stories of those who survived AIDS, but on the other corner of the world, some AIDS victims cannot even survive the taunts and injustice of society. Now, here's a story of a true survivor. He was only 25 when he was diagnosed positive for HIV. Carlos thought that it was the end of his life. All he longed for was compassion, but days have gone without hearing anything from them. His wife went away with the kids and his mom never came to visit him anymore. To further injure Carlos' plummeting hope, he was dismissed from work. Living like a beggar, he volunteered for an AIDS program. That's the only time that he kept his spirits high when he saw how others suffered greater than he did. Wives were burned, children were thrown away to the rivers, and some were even left to die. And so Carlos' mission began, now with a new purpose to live.

Carlos, who's been inflicted with HIV for 3 years now, confessed that life has never been better than all his 3 years of ailment. Sure, he lost his family and friends but he now learned to cherish the things he usually belittled. He found peace with God and comfort among other volunteers. He no longer expects a miracle. Carlos said he found it the moment he held others and relieved their pain with his inspiration. A new mission, a new hope, and a new life for a true AIDS survivor.

H-I-V, three dreaded letters. Three letters that can change your life. Three letters to lose a job. Three letters to lose the respect and love of family and friends. Don't tell me that life will end with these three letters?! There may be a slim chance to live longer, but there will always be a opportunity to learn and live better. HIV, the moment you hear about it, you cringe in fear. But if you have it, you wish you'll just disappear like a bubble. Why do we fear it so much? Is it because we can lose a love one, or is it because of the shame and disgrace of being infected by it? Before you worry too much, learn the acronyms and the labels. Don't look for the stigma, but understand them better.

HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is solely for humans. No dogs allowed, just you and me. It is a virus, in short, it's not hereditary. What does it do? It weakens our immune system, that after a time, we may not be able to ward off infections and diseases. On the other hand, AIDS is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. "A" for "acquired" simply means that it's not genetically transported or inherited from parents. Immune Deficiency, because the immune system is destroyed, making us more susceptible as well as vulnerable to common ailments and infections. "S" for "syndrome" which means signs or symptoms. You develop AIDS from HIV and because of a frail internal combat, your body slowly fades away with no rigorous protection.

When you have HIV, it doesn't immediate develop into full-blown AIDS. There's no assurance, but if you take care of your body, consult a doctor, take a regular dose of prescribed medication, you'll have a higher chance to live longer, just like Magic Johnson who's still at the HIV stage after testing positive in 1991. So when do you call it AIDS? When you're inflicted with HIV and your body can no longer fight off the parasites that feeds on your body, then it's safe to call it AIDS. However, there are factors that may hinder the progressive stage of virus into disease and infection like adequate nutrition, stress-free and healthy lifestyle, and prescription of medicines that doesn't kill the virus but slows down the proliferation of the fatal parasite. So before it's too late, treasure your health and boost your immune system.

So where is God? They say He's gone. But what they don't see is He's residing in every sorrow and joy, a part of our defeat and triumph. Perhaps we're not supposed to understand God, only to trust Him for he entrusted us with life and the miracle to create one. Will God be ever so merciful to forgive mothers who made the choice for their HIV inflicted babies or will it be a downright perversion of humanity? AIDS victims will have to search for an answer.

Is abortion a choice to preserve life or is it a road to perdition? We do not know for sure, but if there's one thing that is almost phenomenal in our modern times, it is that man always assume the role of playing God. Why not, if he has the power to create and destroy? After all, isn't freewill God's gift to man?

Nina is an HIV carrier. She fears for her life but so much more for her child. She's the mother, so she took the right to decide for her child, and had an abortion. She ceased a budding life that can only live in shame and disgrace. When asked if she felt any remorse, she cried out in tears. She said it was the best to kill the baby than to see the child live in suffering. She said it was her call as a mother. I personally do not agree with abortion, but with a mother with so much love and apprehension, I can only share the compassion. I've never been so torn this way. How about you? What's your view?

Of all the stories I've heard about AIDS, one thing stands out as the most bothersome. I can understand the social stigma, as we were brought up to savor greed and social struggle. So what else do we expect? For the world to care? That's too superficial in our modern times when everybody's minding their own business. There's no place for compassion in the society, but how about the family?

That's common among AIDS victims. Their families leave them in isolation, trying to forget the blood that binds them. I saw a news story about a woman from India inflicted with the deadly virus. Her own family condemned her and tried to burn her alive. I couldn't believe it, but the woman survived. If it would have been me, I wouldn't want to live much longer with that kind of treatment and condemnation from my own family.

I admired her courage greater than any man. Her sole reason for struggling to survive was to tell the world her story and for others to understand them more. I've heard a lot of stories from India about unjust treatment to women, but I couldn't even imagine that a country with a diverse tradition and religious belief could be so fierce and inhumane.

The woman from India was living under the health care of a social program. She refuses to die with AIDS, but with dignity and honor. I just wish that there would be more stories of survival and integrity to enlighten us all. This is not just a story of a woman with AIDS, but of a woman trying to make a change.

To falter once is human, to falter twice is merely stupid, to falter thrice is exceptionally dumb, but to falter the fourth time?! There must be a damn spooky conspiracy somewhere! The world is always in search for answers, and they do not cease even with overstepped theories.

If there's a reasonable premise to believe the "Da Vinci Code", why can't we draw cynic views about AIDS. They say that it's a part of a huge plot for biological warfare. Preposterous? How come the marginal sector of the unwanted society always gets inflicted. Why is it that there's a higher ratio and statistics when it comes to homosexuals, African Americans, and the prisoners? Is HIV clever enough to creep up those socially discriminated and tormented? Can it choose the victims?

I'd say this is out of the world realism, but I give even a pinch of doubt that it might be true. The brutal spears of domination and struggle is already written in our society. There are nuclear and biological warfares of nations in power struggle. Evil and despicable, isn't it how the world works under the clutch of greed?

Sheer fiction, I know that's what you'll say. I believe so myself, but there will always be the possibility of underlying truth we must dare uncover. Up to now, researches failed to do anything about the virus. I pity the world when we've got all the solutions for an electronic breakthrough. Whether there's a real genocide or none, all I know is that AIDS never fail to cripple our souls, our spirits. And the greatest challenge to mankind is straggle away from social demoralization and xenocentrism.

In a fleeting second, one of the world's most powerful tower came tumbling down. The skies blurred out in explosion, oozing with grayish fumes. All eyes tuned in and the world ceased for a moment. After the 9/11 attacks, it's as if the world was tied in a knot. Emotions were overflowing, shared in one global sympathy. I thought it was the worst, then came the tsunami. Thousands of properties were devastated, souls trapped in loss and despair. Why does it have to take a tragedy before the world could come and share?

AIDS doesn't differ from any of those tragedies, but the battle had taken too long. While everybody had talked about it, do they really know any of its toll? I've heard stories from different places in the world, there isn't empathy after all! They label the disease with some stigma and people inflicted with it some trauma!

We see Bono calling for help, while other leaders would follow on a roll. But I also heard the story of a woman with HIV who was forced to abort her child, and her parents left her in the wild. The mother soon wandered the land with no family but insanity. So why does it have to be so cruel? The world speaks of prevention but what about people with AIDS and their protection?

We've seen it in movies and heard the story everywhere. But how come the world is still so cold? They also need the cure, but most of all is a heart so pure to understand and feel what they're going through. That's all they want, at least for now.

Since the Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church faced another controversy teetering on the edge of our faith. I've read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and personally, whether it's true or not, I have my faith intact. I still believe in God that may be of suspicious character and debated origin, but I feel the presence of this Divine Being every day and every minute of my existence. Sometimes, I actually take offense with the seemingly endless bickering of church, historians, and analysts, boiling down to Hollywood hype. When there's so much more to see and so much more to do.

I attended mass just last weekend. I was anticipating a drudging sermon from the pulpit but still, I held on for what is a religious obligation. The priest began his sermon, with a story about an AIDS survivor. What he called the survivor actually died two years ago. So why did he call him a survivor? Because at the last minute of his breath, he renewed his belief in God. He forgave the cruel world, all those who dismissed his disease as wrath from God, and those who judged his homosexual life. The young boy was a warrior and survivor indeed.

We have two crossroads of faith. The one that sees God as a tyrant of trials who champions on giving men the world's dilemma and scathing ills; and the God who's always there, who always comes to our plea, despite it all. No faith is absolute, as there are always holes and cracks that can only be filled in with stubborn hope.

Since the discovery of AIDS, world's medical research facilities have dedicated their life in finding the cure for the dreaded disease. Every bits of technology and theories had been exhausted. The society, even with a self-proclaimed alarm and compassion, is stigmatized by the disease. Every year, more people are diagnosed with HIV and later die with AIDS.

In light of all these, isn't AIDS more than just a disease but a torch to light up hope? For sharing the story of the boy, I commend the priest for the wonderful sermon and for giving even a chink of hope and understanding about AIDS and the society. I still believe in Christian faith and its role in the fight against AIDS.