I'm taking a moment today to step away from my usual bookish thoughts, to go red and to do my small part in the blogosphere to help raise awareness about AIDS and help to end the prejudice and stigma that is often forced on those who are infected.
December 1 each year is World AIDS Day. It's a day to remember those who we have lost to this terrible disease, to stand by those still fighting and to educate ourselves. There still is no cure yet for this disease, but it is no longer the early death sentence that it once was. There are medications available that can hold the disease at bay and that can reduce the levels of the disease in a person to practically undetectable levels.
One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to find out your status. There are many resources available, everywhere, to find out your status, or you can go to aids.gov or hivtest.org to find out more about the disease and to find locations where you can be tested. You can also find out more about World AIDS Day here.
There are many other resources out there for more information about AIDS and with ways that you can help fight the disease and raise awareness, too. The (RED) Campaign, Annie Lennox's SING Campaign and the Elton John AIDS Foundation are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head.
So, take a moment today, educate yourself; remember those that we have lost; if you know someone who is fighting, give them a hug and let them know they're not alone. Together, we can overcome this disease.
1 comment:
This reminded me. Last week on Australian Undercover Boss a worker confessed he had been diagnoised with AIDS. He spoke so openly about what he went through.
I was amazed they aired it because even though everyone knows about it and even talks about it, there is still a sort of taboo on it.
The show donated a whole heap of money to the organisation that was helping him which I thought was fantastic.
Congratulations on putting these posts on your blog and spreading the awareness!
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