There is an article on MSN today regarding a new development that may someday lead to an AIDS vaccine. The vast amount of resources going into AIDS research never ceases to amaze me. Unlike other commonly researched diseases, such as cancer, there is little to no financial benefit for treating AIDS patients. The current anti-viral medication used in HIV treatment is expensive by typical American standards and well beyond the reach of the vast majority of those infected. Yet, so much money continues to be pumped into AIDS research and treatment by people who are statistically at little risk of being affected by the disease first hand. In the last 20 years, we have learned so much about this disease and made so many advances in treatment.
When I was 12 years old, a portion of the AIDS quilt came through my home town. That was the first time I saw my dad cry. Earlier that year, the quilt had been on display in its entirety for the last time. There is now no place on Earth large enough to display the whole quilt. It reminds me of driving past a military cemetery; the numbers and statistics mean nothing when you see all those markers, square upon square.
I am proud to buy RED and grateful I have that option in my everyday life. I feel a sense of satisfaction to see how large and influential AIDS organizations are. However, the Lazarus Effect/Project is a horrible name choice for this cause! The name is dehumanizing and implies that people infected with HIV or AIDS are the walking dead or zombies. It is all too easy to forget that the infected are people like everyone else. They are human beings with thoughts, feelings, families, lives. . . .Their disease does NOT define who they are. Every time I encounter the Lazarus Effect I cringe with offense. I want to scream out my uncle was more than a statistic or cause! Kelly was a human being with all that entails.
When I was 12 years old, a portion of the AIDS quilt came through my home town. That was the first time I saw my dad cry. Earlier that year, the quilt had been on display in its entirety for the last time. There is now no place on Earth large enough to display the whole quilt. It reminds me of driving past a military cemetery; the numbers and statistics mean nothing when you see all those markers, square upon square.
I am proud to buy RED and grateful I have that option in my everyday life. I feel a sense of satisfaction to see how large and influential AIDS organizations are. However, the Lazarus Effect/Project is a horrible name choice for this cause! The name is dehumanizing and implies that people infected with HIV or AIDS are the walking dead or zombies. It is all too easy to forget that the infected are people like everyone else. They are human beings with thoughts, feelings, families, lives. . . .Their disease does NOT define who they are. Every time I encounter the Lazarus Effect I cringe with offense. I want to scream out my uncle was more than a statistic or cause! Kelly was a human being with all that entails.