AIDS Speakers Share Stories

Four speakers from The Wyoming Valley AIDS Council presented to students during a program for AIDS Awareness Week on Dec. 1. The agency deals with coping with HIV/AIDS and also tests for the disease.

Caseworkers Matt and Megan introduced the speakers by their first name and allowed them to share their stories. First to speak was a man named Bryan who lived in Ohio before becoming a resident of Pennsylvania. He welcomed the audience to participate in honest dialogue. “You will not offend us by asking us questions, that is what we are here for.” Bryan was diagnosed in November 2001 when doctors discovered a tumor in his brain. Upon checking his white blood cell count the doctors’ actions changed Bryan’s outlook.

“While in the hospital,” Bryan exclaimed, “they quarantined me. The doctors wore gloves and masks, and this was in 2001.”

Each speaker for the night had a different story. Maria, a former resident of Brooklyn, New York acquired the disease nearly 20 years ago. She never saw it coming. She was a hardworking parent, very active in her community and a member of the P.T.A (Parent Teachers Association). Maria’s husband gave her the disease after returning from Vietnam. While overseas, her husband would do drugs as an escape from the war. Maria had three children when she found out that she had HIV/AIDS. Because her husband was infected as well, Maria worked as hard as she could to take control of the disease and be all that she could be for her three children. Her three children now are all grown up--24, 28 and 32. They are her support system and her best friends.

“My children are very supportive. Whatever I want, whatever I need, they are always there,” she said.

One speaker that sparked the audience’s attention the most was Nina. Unlike the other two, Nina was a young girl when she found out that she had HIV/AIDS – she was born with the disease. Because her mother was a heroin addict, Nina was under close watch from her aunt and her doctor in the early years of her life. She had no signs of the disease, so it was assumed that she was not infected and could lead a normal life. At 13 years old Nina became very sick.

“No one knew what was wrong with me,” she said.

Nina’s aunt took her to a pediatrician who ran a few tests. Without a reason, the doctor told Nina and her aunt to go to the hospital. That’s when she found out.

“I lost it. I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

The caseworkers wanted students to realize one thing: HIV/AIDS is still a deadly disease, whether or not people talk about it.

“Raising awareness is the most important thing. There are people out there with HIV/AIDS that won’t know that they have it until something happens to them and it is too late,” said Matt.