So a few weeks ago when I went to get my test results back from Miracle of Love, I made a new friend. I showed up to the clinic at around 1:03 pm only to find that the office doesn't do test results from 1-2 pm. Fantastic right. So as I'm sitting there waiting for what seemed like forever because they kept playing really depressing AIDS videos over and over, I noticed there was a kid around my age sitting right next to me. He was shaking and he looked like he was about to cry. I was going to just mind my own business when he said hi to me. We started talking and he was waiting on his boyfriend to get his test results back. He told me that he had been there for hours and that he was so incredibly worried. He feared that if his boyfriend came back HIV positive, than that would mean that he was positive too. I tried to just sit there and listen to him vent and I found out that he was actually a really cool person. We both went to the same school and were around the same age. We seemed to have a lot in common and it just seemed weird to meet in such a random place. It really made me put myself in someone else's thoughts for awhile. I was pretty positive that I was HIV negative before I got my results, but this kid's whole life could have been changed for him in the matter of hours. Luckily, him and his boyfriend were both negative! But it still made me wonder what if? Just seeing him throw the idea around in his mind and remembering the expression on his face was enough to really scare me. It made me want to be even more careful with the decisions that I am making and just be a lot more aware of my surroundings including the people in them.
Also, did you know that with children with HIV/AIDS their symptoms usually occur very early on. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, about 20 percent of children develop serious disease in the first year of life. Also, most of these children also die by the age of four. This statistic both shocked and saddened me. I just can't understand how an innocent life can be over before they even reach kindergarten. =(
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Children are living lots longer now because of the drugs. Early on, that statistic was valid, but not now. These kids are living well into their 20s and 30s, some even further. Just look at my daughter, who will soon be 12. She is doing so well on her meds.
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