Globally, Dec. 1 is recognized as World AIDS Day. Founded in 1987 to dedicate time and attention to a global pandemic that since 1981 has led to the death of 36 million individual lives, World AIDS Day is about mourning each of these lost lives yet honoring each by raising hope through continued efforts to fight stigma and eventually bring an end to AIDS.
Monday evening, here in our Snohomish county, a small group gathered to march with our banners to our county’s AIDS Memorial, at the corner of Wetmore and Pacific. I was honored to hear individuals pay homage to loved ones who were lost to AIDS. I was touched to note the different walks of life amongst our small group, yet a common thread due to the impact of HIV/AIDS.
As a person living with HIV/AIDS since 1993, I feel immense gratitude daily for access to life-saving medication, first available in 1996, which has allowed me to continue to live as a mom to two remarkable sons, as a social worker who tries her best to provide services to parents and their children with their safety and well-being at heart, and as a member of our county who feels invested in making our community a better place for all.
This year’s theme for World AIDS Day was “Getting To Zero.” Zero new infections, zero deaths. Seeing an end to AIDS. How do I see this happening one day? Know your HIV status by being tested. I know in my own life, I would not have known I had the virus if not for a mandatory test in December 1993 as part of my Peace Corps exit medical examination. Drop the stigma of talking about sexuality with your loved ones. A parent can choose to be blinded by the belief that their young ones are abiding by their “family values” or can dare to speak about the precautions that need be taken to stay HIV-free. Drop the stigma towards individuals who have the HIV disease, making it more welcoming and likely that these individuals will seek and maintain adherence to medication that is not only life-saving for themselves but also prevents transmission to an uninfected person, if fully adherent.
In my years of living with HIV/AIDS, it has been remarkable to witness the judgment passed on this disease — as if other diseases are not also often a result of a poor choice. Smoking leads to certain types of cancers. Poor eating and lack of exercise often leads to obesity and accompanying heart diseases or diabetes or even certain types of cancers. One can go on to list poor choices that lead to diseases. Yet, HIV/AIDS continues to carry a stigma of the deserved disease for the poorest of choices. Let’s end this stigma, and then I do believe we’ll see an end to AIDS.
Jeannine Fosca
Lake Stevens
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