Friday is Irish AIDS day (15th of June)

[Jim Allen]

Friday is Irish AIDS day.

HIV Ireland are calling on the government to expand free testing. Currently free testing is limited and only available in the major cities http://www.hivireland.ie/hiv-irelan-calls-for-urgent-government-action-on-latest-hiv-figures/

To raise awareness I will be bringing Red Ribbons into the office tomorrow and I will also be handing out red ribbons during the day and talking to people

I also donated to HIV Ireland and they sent me a lovey metal red ribbon pin, with Irish tricolor flag. Took a picture of me wearing it

... Yeah I know selfies make me look like a lunatic 





The provisional data for this year shows we already have 212 newly diagnosed people, in 2017 alone there were 506 people newly diagnosed with HIV (135 Women and 381 Men) so this trend seems to be continuing.

Jim

[Jim Allen]

How I spend #IrishAIDSDay was by handing out red-ribbons and having many great conversations with people regarding living with HIV, U=U, and the continued need to support charities like HIV Ireland.

Also heard some heartbreaking stories from people who had lost close family members,  including one chap who shared with me the story of his sister who had a long battle but was finally lost to bacterial infection and the struggles they as a family had endured. Sadly also heard from 2 people that would still hide the true diagnosis of someone who had passed on by telling other family & friends  it was cancer that had taken their loved ones, not out of protection of the person who had passed away, but simply out of shame.

Long day and treated myself by going to the Liam Gallagher concert in town at the end of it.

Jim

Me at the concert:

[leatherman]

congrats and thanks Jim for all you do! 

how was the concert?

[Jim Allen]

Thanks 

Yeah the concert was better than I had expected, great crowd, great music and the weather held so other than a few drops of rain it was dry and warm. Nice change for Dublin 

Jim