HIV and AIDS Stigma: A Place to Hope
A Place to Hope
For several years I have been wishing to do something to reach out to individuals who have HIV/AIDS whether women or children, men, older or young; specially the ones who are alone, isolated, hurting and that the fear of stigma is constantly in their minds and over their lives as a dark cloud. Mission Statement
This is a place to h
ope, a place to talk about what you have learned with regard to living positively after HIV/AIDS diagnosis. If you just received a diagnosis or you are waiting for one, you are scared, you have no one to talk to, then this is the place to find some comfort and encouragement. If you are living with HIV/AIDS but have not been able to have a good support system formed by friends and family or a support group this is the place for you. A Place for Hope is a place to share and be inspired. Even in the darkest night there is always hope and we are here for you. One of the many powerful reasons that lead me to create this group. This is one of the many powerful reasons that lead me to create this group; one night I was looking for information on HIV/AIDS--in addition to scholarly journals--because I wanted to find a face or faces that would represent the fear and the pain of being alone with this illness, or stigmatized seeing every new day as the extension of a long agony (I chose this subject for a group project proposal for one of my classes, which by the way, was approved by my professor; and it makes me so happy to find positive feedback for this new approach which is very different to the approach used by other group leaders or group counselors). Those faces were supposed to represent that secret anguish; they were supposed to become that desperate cry coming out of the dark night of stigma, begging for a minute of attention and compassion. wrote on one of the websites I searched, he described those agonizing moments when he was waiting for the results of his HIV test. During those moments Phillip remembered the columns which Robert DeAndreis’ wrote in the San Francisco Sentinel, he went to the public library and searched for the letters; he found them. Finally, Phillip had something that gave him comfort, the written words of a man who died with AIDS, Robert DeAndreis, the columnist. Phillip had a link to DeAndreis’ letters and I wanted to know how these letters provided him comfort. Even now, as I write, I do not understand exactly what comforted Phillip in the content of the letters; it was the fact that DeAndreis’ experienced what he was experiencing at that moment? I do not know the answer. I read what both of them wrote, but I read more than their words; I read their pain, an unsustainable anguish and no one to turn to. I contacted Phillip via email, and he gave me permission to share his story and the story of Robert DeAndreis.’ I will share a few sentences selected from De Andreis’ different columns in the San Francisco Sentinel. These were the loneliest days of a man dying with AIDS:
“These two years of full-blown AIDS have been the loneliest days of my life,”
“I was spiritually bankrupt, my life hit bottom and I was lonely as hell,”
“I kept obsessing about my family: I’m dying; for God’s sake, what’s so hard about a monthly phone call to say you’re thinking about me?” (Robert DeAndreis’). I was deeply moved after reading the letters of Phillip D. and DeAndreis. DeAndreis' died alone, I wish he knew, "Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. " (Psalm 27:10 NIV) or "When I am afraid I will trust in you." (Psalm 56:3 NIV)
There are hundreds and thousands who are scared as Phillip when he was waiting for his tests results, or dying alone as DeAndreis’ did. So many of us have given up on them, we refuse to learn the facts of HIV/AIDS; no one will contract it just by being around persons who have it, you can hug them, you can give them a little kiss on their foreheads, have a conversation with them and be in the same room breathing the same air, or shake hands and you will not acquire the virus. Why do we categorize mistakes and /or illnesses as if some are worse than others and insist on perpetuating stigma? Each one of us can learn a little more about it, each one of us can remove the fear or the prejudice and reach out to men, women, children, adolescents; young and older individuals who right now, at this very minute, may be dying without someone to at least hold their hands; especially the ones who do not have supportive families and friends. Now to finalize my plea I will share a quote from Kate Warren:
"Christians are just as guilty as non-Christians of wanting to look the other way when it comes to the problems confronting our world, the topics that make us uncomfortable. But we need to be seriously disturbed about homelessness, child prostitution, rape, poverty, injustice, and HIV/AIDS. Twenty-five years into the AIDS pandemic, being HIV-positive still carries stigma and shame. But God cares for the sick and so must we. - Kate Warren
But There is Another Fact! Persons who have HIV/AIDS live longer now thanks to all the new treatments and medications, many can continue to have normal and productive lives. How can we ignore millions of individuals? These are human beings that we cannot discard. They can be employed and be actively involved in the community. Forbidden Content on Our Wall
This is the kind of content that is absolutely forbidden to post on our wall:
sexual content of any kind, sexual agendas, links to dating sites or pornography, sexual language, disrespectful comments about individuals who have HIV/AIDS. Anyone who does not follow these guidelines will be removed from the group. Who Can Be a Member of this Group?
• Anyone who can benefit from our support and anyone who would like to support and encourage others. Also if you are interested in reinforcing the cause against stigmatization of individuals who have HIV/AIDS, then you can join our group.
• If you have tried everything to find comfort and to ease your burden after your diagnosis, but nothing have worked for you; you feel a void that nothing you tried filled it, then I want to share with you the hope that I have. This is a hope that no one can take away from you, a hope that have sustained me in my darkest hours. It is my "music of the night," the notes of hope: the word and promises of my Redeemer. I will not force you or anyone to believe who gives me hope; it will be mentioned on our wall along with other inspirational, motivational, and informative materials and if some day you would like to learn more I will share it with you or one of our volunteers will gladly answer any of your questions. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WELCOME HERE; OUR PURPOSE IS TO LEAD YOU “TO A PLACE TO HOPE.”
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TODO LO SIGUIENTE ES COMPLETAMENTE PROHIBIDO CUANDO USTED ESCRIBE COMENTARIOS EN NUESTRA PAGINA:
*Comentarios de contenido sexual
*Promover estilos de prácticas sexuales
*Pornografía
*Comentarios ofensivos en contra de personas que tienen el VIH/SIDA, sus familiares, y
amistades.
*Anunciar sitios de la Internet que se dedican a promover relaciones romanticas/sexuales de cualquier genero.
*Si usted no se adhiere a estas reglas será removido de nuestro grupo y sus comentarios serán eliminados.
*Adicionalmente, usted será reportado a Facebook para que ellos tomen las medidas necesarias de acuerdo a su ofensa. TODAS LAS PERSONAS SON BIENVENIDAS AQUI, NUESTRO PROPOSITO ES DAR APOYO, ACEPTAR, Y CULTIVAR SU ESPERANZA.
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We are united to any person or group who desires to stand against stigma and prejudice of individuals who have HIV/AIDS, their families and friends. Some individuals and groups who joined us may stand for some agendas and ideas which do not represent our stand and purpose.
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Estamos unidos a cualquier persona o grupo que desea combatir estigma y prejuicios en contra de personas que tienen VIH/SIDA, sus familiares y amistades. Algunos individuos y grupos que se han unido a nosotros es posible que expresen ideas o mision que no representan lo que es el proposito de nuestro grupo.
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"The silence of churches, synagogues, and mosques across the nation --the refusal to listen with love--serves to push aside people with HIV/AIDS. The church, and that means all people, must stop pushing away our brother and sisters with AIDS; we must stop trying to put them out of our lives and out of our families. The church is supposed to bring people together, not to leave them out in the cold. The church is to be a place of healing." –Cecile Williams
