The first day of December is set aside as World AIDS day, a day spent educating the public about AIDS and the disease that causes it, HIV. It is also a day spent remembering those who have died to the disease and its complications, as well as a day dedicated to understanding what those with the disease suffer.
The main speaker at the annual AIDS breakfast held by Access AIDS Network was a woman from the Greater Sudbury area who spoke about her ordeal with AIDS. It was requested the woman's name be withheld from publication.
"She was very well received," said Vicki Kett, manager of community services at Access AIDS Network on Elm Street. She explained the woman's story of physical, sexual, and substance abuse was very common in those who sought the services of the network.
According to Kett, many of the people who seek services at the Access AIDS Network have become infected through drug use or sexual behaviour, all with a root in self-esteem and abuse issues.
Kett also said she believes that HIV and AIDS aren't on the radar as a deadly disease any longer.
"Life expectancy has grown substantially (since 1996)," said Kett. She noted HIV and AIDS are now regarded as treatable or curable diseases by many people.
The diseases are treatable, if you want to take pills every day, she said, explaining that the medicines used to control HIV and AIDS still have serious side affects.
"Why people still believe today, in 2009, that AIDS is not a serious disease" is something Kett considers surprising, as 14 people are infected with the disease world-wide every second.
Access AIDS Network statistics indicate HIV and AIDS infections are on the rise, in the Sudbury region.
Kett attributes the rise, in part, to people regarding HIV and AIDS as a treatable disease, but also in part to the belief that the diseases are so serious and deadly that it should be obvious if someone is infected.
"It can be eight or nine years before you start showing symptoms," Kett revealed.
Access AIDS Network is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing support in the Sudbury area now for 20 years. It provides support to people living with HIV and AIDS, including marginalized populations such as people who live on the street. It provides educational services to workplaces, schools, and institutions and assists with the deductible cost of HIV and AIDS medications.
The network also provides a food bank, youth support, and support for the lesbian, gay, and trans-gendered groups which are at particularly high risk due to deceased familial and social support.
The Access AIDS Network has a website at www.accessaidsnetwork.com. It is currently being redeveloped, but when complete will provide information on the network's services.
One Woman's Story
The speaker at the Access AIDS Network breakfast was raised in a dysfunctional home where substance abuse as well as physical abuse (directed at her mother) was common. When she was in her teens, her father sexually abused her. To escape her home life, she turned to drugs and alcohol, and later to crime and prostitution to fund her habits.
She turned her life around, getting assistance from the Sudbury Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, and after a few years began dating and married a Sudbury area man. Both chose to be tested for diseases because of their past. She came up negative, but never went back to get tested.
After the birth of their daughter, the speaker chose to go back to school and get her highschool diploma.
"Life was good," she said.
In the next few years, she began suffer problems with her breathing and dropped a significant amount of weight. She eventually ended up in the hospital, in the intensive care unit, with a tube down her throat.
Tests came back showing that she was HIV positive, and had been since before her marriage, before the birth of her daughter. She fortunately had not infected either. She offered her husband a divorce, believing that he should not be tied down to a woman with a "fatal illness."
He instead chose to call the Access AIDS Network for assistance. Through the network and the Cedar Healing Lodge, the speaker was able to address the self-esteem issues associated with the disease. She now speaks at schools, correction facilities, and treatment centres to help educate people about the disease.
