Opening My Eyes

Before I started working with Beyond The Odds, AIDS was not anything more than a fleeting thought. I have had unsafe and unprotected sex with a number of partners and did not worry about possible repercussions to my health. I always trusted my judgment, and instinct, even when intoxicated. I have been in a committed relationship for over two years now and still have never been tested for any sexually transmitted diseases.

The stories and presence of my peers who are the journalists for Beyond The Odds have greatly opened my eyes. Simply listening and being at the workshops has been, at times, heavy, but I am always reminded of the strength this group of individuals embodies. The conversations we have had are not something I would experience anywhere else. This makes me realize that these types of conversations should be more commonplace. I believe that part of why the discussion around HIV and youth is limited is because people do not know how to talk about it; be it people with skewed assumptions about the disease or people who are living with it and are uncomfortable talking about AIDS with people who are not HIV positive.

One thing that we have discussed at the workshops is a comparison between the new health epidemic, the oh so-scary Swine Flu, and the seemingly invisible threat of AIDS. With around 100 known cases, people are paranoid about traveling, being in contained spaces and some are even wearing facemasks. But the idea of AIDS is just too huge for most people to fathom. "More than five young people worldwide contract HIV every minute -- that's 7,000 people each day, and more than 2.6 million each year. Half of all new HIV infections occur in young people ages 15-24, with one-third of all currently infected individuals in this age group1. " With a shocking fact like that people are still not wearing condoms. I can say for myself that while the facts are overwhelming, it has had zero effect compared to the handful of hours I have spent thus far with a group of my peers who are all HIV- positive and pull no punches in being themselves.

I believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and I know that needs to start with me. “A 1992 study of HIV-infected youth conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health revealed that one-third of all adolescents who had been diagnosed with HIV had discovered their illness accidentally, through mandatory testing at the Job Corps, the military, or plasma centers. The other two- thirds learned of their illness through emergency rooms and acute-care settings. These youth were already sick by the time of their diagnosis2.” Therefore, starting today, my choices and decisions to get protected, get tested and get informed will be a top priority not just for myself but also for my partners.

This blog was written by a Beyond the Odds staff member for Beyond the Odds 2009. Beyond the Odds is a project designed to illuminate the perspectives of young people 18-24 living with HIV and AIDS. Beyond the Odds.org set to launch late June, 2009.

1 Advocates for Youth, March 15, 2001
2 http://www.thebody.com/content/art32384.html