POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: Moffie65 on August 30, 2006, 11:51:09 am
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Our local paper, the Sierra Vista Herald, svherald.com (http://svherald.com) did not make it to the internet, so in the interest of those of you who have requested to see this column on a regular basis, I have placed it here out of my own files in my Word program.
AIDS-Meds Gathering ’06, Montreal.
Well, so much has happened in the world of HIV in the last month, and also in the life of this columnist.
My body has seemingly adjusted to the new medications that were causing the twenty four hour a day nausea, and now I am enjoying several days in a row of no such annoyances. I am now looking forward to a more stable therapy for the foreseeable future.
One of the things that I do in my work with HIV/AIDS, is participate on an online forum at AIDSmeds.com. This website is one of the only ones on the planet that is completely AIDS centric, and is owned and operated by people that are living with HIV/AIDS. The website contains important reference material concerning drug interactions, lessons on how to deal with HIV infection, testing questions, and support forums which help people to come to some comfort and focus, living with HIV. It is used quite heavily by Infectious Disease Doctors, and people in the work of HIV, as a resource of up to date information for the care of PLWHA.
Last year, several of the members of this website decided to make an attempt to gather together once a year, to get to know each other and establish a more physical and personal contact with the people we communicate with on a daily basis. Through our discussions, we chose the name of “AIDS Meds Gatherings”, and this one will go down in history as AMG 06, Montreal. Our first such gathering in 2005 was located in Toronto, and this years is just coming to a close in Montreal as I am typing this column. The reason for the need to gather together in an offshore location is because of a very questionable and strange law that the Congress of the United States passed some years ago, that prevent people “Living with HIV/AIDS” from entering the United States for a visit of any duration. We, and all of the scientific and medical community, know that this viral protein is not passed casually, and to focus on foreign visitors living with the virus seems a bit trite and a terrible waste of time and energy; while still ignoring the incredible spread of the virus in all of our own country. We never the less, must take this into account, so we choose to meet in Canada to be able to be as inclusive as possible. One of the things that is very important for you as the reader to understand, is that many of the attendees are not capable of paying their own way to attend such a gathering, so other members that are more financially able, pay for those who want to attend.
This year, the gathering was neatly dovetailed with the conclusion of the International AIDS Conference - Toronto, with a theme of "Time to Deliver". From that conference, one of the owners of the site gave us a very comprehensive overview of the current climate of research, testing and a basic overview of where the pandemic is going, and how some of the countries around the world are viewing the science of vaccines, therapy and prevention.
I must say that I was very privileged and happy to be able to attend this rather laid back function where people of all nationalities, races and backgrounds come together. One of the attendees, who I have been helping in the “ways of HIV Activism” since about November of last year, is Loreen Willenberg. That name might just ring a bell with you as her story has been picked up by CNN, The Washington Post and over twenty other world wide news outlets. She has been living with this disease for 14 years now, but her immune system is one of the very few on the globe that is capable of fighting off the virus, and has not progressed to advanced AIDS. She is enrolled in a Boston study that is looking at the nature of these people on a genetic level, and most of the scientific and medical world is fairly sure that these people hold the absolute key to understanding not only the disease, but the solution for a cure and development of a vaccine. Look for more news in the near future about this very revolutionary study, and this very interesting lady.
On a final note, BLAST and the NAACP are planning the first ever AIDS Walk here in Sierra Vista. It is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 21, in Tompkins Park, from 7:00am to 12:00noon. Be there, and make a difference for the men and women in our community that are now Living with HIV/AIDS.
For those of you from around the world, BLAST stands for BorderLand AIDS Services Team, the organization I founded and now help direct, and the NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. I hope you enjoyed this column and in the future I will be placing my column here, whether or not they place it on their website. They are not a huge paper and they don't place all content on the web due to their web space contstricts.
In Love and Support
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Hi Tim,
That was a good article. Thanks for posting it! Also glad to hear your belly problems are resolving.
Christine
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Once more, I am inspired by a true hero.
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Moffie, Excellent article, it was well written.
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Tim,
Thanks for sharing!
Brian
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Thanks guys. I think it is obvious that I enjoy this opportunity, and I am already working on next months, as I have heard some very disturbing news from our own hospital here, in their penchant for refusing service to those living with HIV. You must also know that those kinds of things just grate my last nerve, so I am looking into it as we speak.
IN Love and Thanks.
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Moffie,
Does the hospital have such a right to turn away HIV patients? That is disturbing news. Please keep us updated on this one.
Have the BEST Day.
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Moff.., great job on the article, and congrats on that first Aids Walk! That is awesome!
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Awesome article, Tim!! I can't wait to see the next one, and hear the feedback from the hospital, lol.
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great article tim. i'm glad it got there in time.
robert
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Thanks again all.
I cannot say too much just yet about this hospital and their unorthidox operating policies, as I am still digging up stuff to look into and finding people that I can talk to about this unbelieveable standard. I don't want to mess up any opportunity to shake the board of directors up, but be assured, I will keep you posted on this and report back to you when I get the chance. In the State of Arizona, they are given a license to practice medicine, and with that, the responsibility to serve the whole community. All I can say at this point is that this is going to be fun, and I will have to resurect my suits and ties.
Thanks for all of you who give a damn about the clients here who are being abused and neglected.
In Love.
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Good work Tim, you're my role model. Sorry haven't been in touch more lately.
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Tim,
Again, you amaze me!
Love and Big Hugs
Teresa
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Hi Tim. What a good thing to read this morning. Thank you for posting it. Anne
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Hey Tim,
I just read the column. Well done! Reminds of my old days, which I still find I miss from time to time.
Sounds funny to say I just read the column, since I was with you in Montreal when you sent it. But, as you can probably understand, things were hectic upon my return.
Anyway, keep up the good work and let us know what happens with the hospital issue.
HUGS,
Mark
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Tim,
You truly are a hero.
But, through no fault of yours, your spirit and fight makes me feel inadequate and unworthy.
steve
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Go Get EM TIM I can't wait to see more! You are "the man" ...I know if anyone can nail them it's you!!!