HIV/AIDS: Into the light

D.J. Mead of Bloomington doesn’t consider himself dying of HIV.

“I am living with this disease,” he told a group of Jackson County residents and others during a World AIDS Day program at the Community Foundation of Jackson County on Tuesday night.

Mead joined fellow Bloomington residents Joy Robinson and Patrick McDaniel in a special panel discussion to talk about what it’s like to live with HIV/AIDS.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to live or die,” Robinson said of finding out she was HIV positive in 2002.

She now finds strength in talking to others and educating the public about the disease.

“I need to learn to cope and this is how I’m doing it,” she said.

Tuesday’s program was held as part of World AIDS Day, an annual event to bring individuals and organizations together to remember those who have died from HIV/AIDS, increase awareness of the ongoing pandemic and celebrate the progress being made in the fight against the disease.

“It will affect each and every one of us,” Mead said.

The program was organized by the Seymour Chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

All three panelists are clients of Positive Link, one of 12 Indiana care coordination sites for people who are living with HIV/AIDS. The agency is part of Bloomington Hospital’s Community Health Services division and serves clients in Jackson County.

Welcoming those in attendance, C.W. “Bud” Walther, pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Crothersville, apologized for the need to be there. “I’m sorry that I’m here,” he said. “I’m sorry that we have to continue to keep the promise to work to stop AIDS.”

In the fight against HIV/AIDS, Walther pointed out some good news. “From 2001 to 2008, the incidence rate of AIDS has dropped 17 percent,” he said.

But there is bad news, too, he added. “The bad news is that of every five that are infected, only two are seeking treatment,” he said.

From 1981 to June 2008, 17 Jackson County residents died of HIV/AIDS, according to a 2008 state report. As of June 30, 2008, 26 cases of HIV had been reported in Jackson County, with fewer than five of those cases having been reported in the first half of 2008.

Before introducing the night’s speakers, Ed Fox, a member of Seymour PFLAG, spoke about the importance of keeping the topic of HIV/AIDS in the spotlight, especially in small, rural communities like Jackson County. “This is the only time and place where AIDS is talked about publicly,” he said of the World AIDS Day program. “Without information, AIDS wins.”

Seymour resident Yvonne Mitchell attended the program to honor her cousin, Brian Clark. “He had hemophilia and got HIV through a blood transfusion,” she said. “He passed away just a few months ago, so it’s still pretty rough.”

Taking a red rose in his memory, Mitchell cried and hugged her daughter. Both are involved with PFLAG.  “I think it was good for everyone to see that people with HIV/AIDS look normal,” she said. “They don’t all look sick, so you don’t know who has it, it could even be your neighbor.”

Next year, Mitchell hopes to see more people attend the program. “People just ignore it and think it doesn’t happen and we can’t do that,” she said.

McDaniel said one way communities can bring more awareness to the issue of HIV/AIDS is by going into the schools with the message.

“I encourage local schools to allow people to come in and talk about HIV, AIDS and safe sex,” he said.

“Communities like this need to use their resources, communicate and network to get the message out.”

He also said more churches should get involved in supporting the cause and those who have the disease.

Tracy Price, a member of Seymour PFLAG, said the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day was “Universal Access and Human Rights.”

“I ask you to remember tonight that HIV/AIDS affects us all no matter what sexual orientation, gender, culture, economic status or religious preference,” she said.

Mead said there needs to be more compassion and less criticism for those living with HIV/AIDS.

“HIV is not a gay issue, it’s a humanity issue,” he said. “These people don’t deserve the criticism and discrimination they receive.”

Walther said he was grateful to the panelists for sharing their stories. “They laid it out there and they were truthful about it,” he said.

It doesn’t matter, he added, how people contract the disease. “You don’t ask how someone gets cancer or the flu,” he said. “Why ask with HIV/AIDS? It doesn’t matter.” He said the community has to “take HIV/AIDS out of the darkness and put it into the light.” “We need to be able to say AIDS and HIV in public, wherever we are and to whoever we are talking to,” he said.

He challenged those in attendance to talk about the disease with everyone and encourage everyone to get tested. “Be honest,” he said. “Bring HIV and AIDS into the light.”

By the numbers

AIDS is a global epidemic that has established a firm foothold here in Indiana, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.  According to 2007 data, an estimated 8,851 Hoosiers were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the state.  And 210 Hoosiers who were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS died.  The number of deaths nearly doubles that of 2006.