Know Your Status...

So today is the World AIDS awareness day.  I thought I would write a little post on this because 1)  it affects so many more people than most realize and 2) someone that was very close to me passed away because of it.    Most people think that AIDS only affects those that are drug users, and people  who take place in reckless sex, it doesn't.  My mother's best friend that helped raise me when I was little was diagnosed with HIV when he was in his 20's, he passed away January 2011 because he wasn't able to take his medicine anymore.  AIDS can affect anyone.  This disease can go undetected for years.  There are so many ways to be exposed besides the negative ones such as exposure at certain jobs, children of infected parents being exposed to breast milk, and even though it is less likely now then in the 80's and early 90's blood transfers.  Most people that are positive for HIV get really sick once and then get better for many years.  Sometimes this episode of sickness can be mistaken for the flu.  Once HIV starts to progress towards the AIDS the person will get very sick again.  People need to be more understanding, and less afraid of people that are positive, now it is not so much as a death sentence as something you have to be aware of.

Know your status and get tested even if you are a 100% sure you don't have it.  According to AIDS.org every 9.5 minutes someone else is infected with the virus, and 1 in 5 people are unaware that they are infected.  The medicine to control the AIDS virus is very high and many people *rich and poor* have to make the choice whether to either be sick and die or pay bills and eat.  I just wanted to say a little something on here today because as I sit here at my computer healthy and happy I know there are so many people in America and other parts of the world that are knocking on deaths door because they either do not know or are not able to afford meds to control the virus and this makes me very sad.  So everyone again I say... know your status.  It could save you and the ones you love.