Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Shake the Disease

I love the image. It's not mine, as I lifted it from the internets (thank you, Goooooogle Images). It says so much (Morty - don't go all Jack Handy on me here):

Alone, but not alone. Strength. Support.

Today is World AIDS Day - the 21st one, amazing and sad as those both sound.

I don't expect a cure in my/our lifetime, but it would be nice if it happened. There might not ever be a cure. I look at cancer and while treated and even the successes that exist with individual cases (mine included), overall success rates are fairly low. But like any good accountant will ask you, "what do you want the number to be?"

Back in the day, when I was younger, and believe it or not, more naive, I was shocked to hear that they thought a 5-10% survival rate in bone marrow transplant was a HUGE success. So it really is in how one measures and defines success - and what, if any, benchmarks exist.

We have pharmaceutical success for AIDS/HIV management, but not the vaccine. We have these drugs but with unintended side-effects that are coming to light lately. We have longer rates of people living with HIV, but increasing numbers of people getting it. We have education, but always struggling for funds to provide it.

Here is one thing we do have: ourselves.

It goes back to the earlier part of this post and not being alone. It goes to the strength and support our community needs, and people suffering with this who are not in our community.

This year, while being pseudo-forced into giving to United Way, I directed my contribution to the AIDS Task Force. The expectation was go give it back to our organization (I kid you not), but screw that. I put my dollars where I wanted and where I thought they'd do some good.

Clearly, support isn't only in monetary form. But I encourage folks to do whatever they can, in their own way.

Today is a day to remember or to act. But it is never really just a day.


Song by: Depeche Mode

2 comments:

Larry Ohio said...

Thanks Blobby.

Birdie said...

Those of us who know the devastating consequences of this disease are honor-bound to educate those who don't. Thank you for your efforts and this post.