Play it safe
Tale # 1
She is a sweet lady, in her mid forties & serves tea in my office daily. She had lost her husband about 2 years ago.
Now, for no fault of hers, she is suffering & counting her days. She is tested positive for HIV. She has been made a victim by her husband who was apparently cheating on her.
She tries to take extra precaution of her health, spends too much time & money on medication & tries every little bit to prolong herself & stretch as much as she can. And her main concern is of her teenage daughter.
Tale # 2
He is the secretary cum typist in my office. A good worker. And on the verge of dying. Anyone who is well versed with the consequences of HIV will know for sure that he is one by just looking at him. The cause for this is his own self.
Tale # 3
He was well built & was a very hard working trainee in my office, in his early twenties. Very ambitious. He was down with the initial stages of malaria & just within a week he became less than half his size & terribly weak. The medicines of malaria were not acting on him as he was yet another HIV positive victim. The following week he died as he had not taken enough precaution.
I think more awareness needs to be brought out along with the consequences of being unsafe and would request all of you to do as much as you can and reach out to the people.
Thanks.
She is a sweet lady, in her mid forties & serves tea in my office daily. She had lost her husband about 2 years ago.
Now, for no fault of hers, she is suffering & counting her days. She is tested positive for HIV. She has been made a victim by her husband who was apparently cheating on her.
She tries to take extra precaution of her health, spends too much time & money on medication & tries every little bit to prolong herself & stretch as much as she can. And her main concern is of her teenage daughter.
Tale # 2
He is the secretary cum typist in my office. A good worker. And on the verge of dying. Anyone who is well versed with the consequences of HIV will know for sure that he is one by just looking at him. The cause for this is his own self.
Tale # 3
He was well built & was a very hard working trainee in my office, in his early twenties. Very ambitious. He was down with the initial stages of malaria & just within a week he became less than half his size & terribly weak. The medicines of malaria were not acting on him as he was yet another HIV positive victim. The following week he died as he had not taken enough precaution.
I think more awareness needs to be brought out along with the consequences of being unsafe and would request all of you to do as much as you can and reach out to the people.
Thanks.
posted by Has to be me @ 7:36 AM
22 Comments:
At 9:33 AM,
geeth said…
So sad isn't it.. people are still not careful, no matter how much they are educated. *sigh*
How do feel when you are surrounded by more than one of these people?
At 11:40 AM,
Has to be me said…
Geetha,
Ya it is just so pathetic. I think they just indulge without thinking of the consequences. Unfortunately like u mentioned I am surrounded by a number of them.
Raz,
Its not just in India....all over.
At 1:35 PM,
Anonymous said…
I don't hv anything to say about the secratary and the trainee coz they went to that fatal road with their eyes open, but yes the lady in the tale# 1 i really feel for such ppl coz its just not their fault, if the poor lady wud hv shown any sort of constrain against her cheating husband,it jeopardises her married life, and when she didn't her husband happily died leaving her with the pain of awaiting her death every moment and simultaneously worry about the poor child.
At 1:35 PM,
Patty said…
Another reminder to be taken in with all of this happening, is our connections to one another. When we as an individual make poor choices (be it placing ones self at risk for catching aids, driving drunk, whatever...) Those poor choices MOST ALWAYS effect those around us, often in a negative way. This then, raises the question about the statement "What I choose to do, is my business." How can it be when it causes such tragic results to those around you? How do we even begin to teach the concept of responsible choices for the good of all people? As with everything, I believe it starts with one individual stepping up, and the next one noticing enough to emulate the behavior, so the next one steps up, until thinking of how one's behavior effects others becomes the norm instead of the rarity.
You touched a cord in me with this post. So much sadness in our world, so much pain. No wonder I like staying home, cocooned in my own little peaceful world. I will keep praying.......
At 2:07 PM,
Has to be me said…
Southpaw,
Yes, seeing this lady daily I feel so sad for her...she is suffering due to no fault of hers.
Patty,
I hope ppl r wise enuff to make the right decisions atleast where it concerns others. Glad to note that this post appealed to u. And thanks for the prayers....thats really sweet of u. :)
At 8:53 PM,
Jackal said…
some ppl get it by accident.....but a lot dont know abt it........and worse are the ppl who no know n yet dont take precautions.......why does ever one think tht it can not happen to them......and when it does ppl turn arnd n ask why me? tcccccc has to be me
At 9:55 PM,
KC! said…
unga office-la ivalo victims-a? My God! Not abt your office, but about the number in the educated sect! Edho lorry drivers-nra nilamai poi..
At 12:55 AM,
Jinguchakka said…
Not only the pain of the disease. But the attached social stigma too is a problem for the victims.
At 7:36 AM,
Has to be me said…
Jackal,
Rightly said. That's one serious problem...everybody thinks that it cant happen to them & when it does, its 'y me' attitude!
Usha,
Educated ppl ay ippidi na imagine the plight of the uneducated. Ppl just dont want to accept.
Jinguchakka,
Hey, firstly thats a v.nice name!! True. Thats the reason y they dont like to face the fact that they are a victim.
At 10:55 AM,
Has to be me said…
Anand,
Unfortunately they are all very true stories. More awareness needs to be brought out.
At 2:25 PM,
Me too said…
That's shocking! And in a conservative soceity! It is disheartening to read about the innocent victims!
At 4:49 PM,
dharmu said…
even after being one of the fastest growin economy of recent times, india still lacks in its social front.
AIDS is still considered with fear and iggnorance. many victims have no or scants knowledge about the silent killer.
people who know, have predefined notions.
it is sad to say, but our country is in great need for sex- education to avoid and control such instances.
At 4:58 PM,
Mind Curry said…
its really sad and horrifying at the same time. the trauma the victims go through is worse than the disease.
At 6:09 PM,
Has to be me said…
Me too,
The place where I live is not conservative at all. Probably thats why this has resulted.
Dharmu,
Yes there is a great need for education & awareness not only in India but all over the world. Esp where I am.
MC,
U bet. As a doc, have u come across many such victims?
At 8:54 PM,
quills said…
Really terrible. I guess educating people to practice safer sex or abstain is the only method. And once they are victims, a bit of compassion to these folks would go a long way.
At 9:12 PM,
Rajesh &Shankari said…
It is so sad to even think of the lady suffering for no fault of hers. Good article
At 3:50 AM,
Ram said…
Hi hastobeme, been seeing you around and finally landed up there :).
Its really sad to see the stigma associated with HIV, and its impact on people and the society.
I was watching a superb piece on PBS about how Botswana, led by this MD,MBA guy is combating this disease, and they analyzed how we, as citizens, just need to slow down the progress of the disease and let people survive, till our doctors find a cure.
At 11:10 PM,
Marutham said…
Very Sad! Inspite of all the awareness...Through Media, Notices, and also some organisations campaigning...This musty stop! And the only way is to Educate evryone!!
Nice thought-Has to be You!!
Nice blogging!!
At 8:16 AM,
gayathri said…
public awareness -> the need of the hour...
At 9:35 AM,
Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said…
your first incident reminded me of one incident I witnessed in our neighborhood....this guy remarried afta his first wife died mysteriously...then afta an yr he got his first kid...and soon his newly wedded wife expired too..that time things became clear...
He was cheating on her..and was HIV positive...which was transferred to his new wife...and then to their daughter too...following month this dude also expired leaving that poor child all alone....
Man...awareness is what is needed...
At 9:40 AM,
Has to be me said…
Quills,
Yes there's this big time advertising campaign called ABC -
A - Abstain
B - Be Safe
C - Condomise
U can see these posters / hoardings all over the place but....
Shankari,
Thanks. That's the harsh part of life.
Ram,
Welcome here. Thanks fr the link. Yup, thats Africa for you. Apparently I hear that there is a temporary cure....rather a medicine that slows the process but the victim has to be on the extra extra cautious of his/her health.
Do keep visiting. :)
Marutham,
Welcome to this space. Education is happening.....but may be it should really be drilled deep down into their minds esp abt the consequences.
Gayathri,
Right, a lot more awareness is reqd. But how do u think we need to reach out?
Arz00n,
Gosh! That's terrible. What a creep. Knowing that he is + he remarried...what a creep! And how did he even have a heart to have a child. Shame! Such ppl ought to be shot.
At 9:05 PM,
SCRIBBLEZ TO WAKEUP said…
Hey...I meandered here Via Chandni...I had just commented tht we cant wait for the Government to open its eyes, take tesponsibility and then do some education as it will take five 5 years plans to even think about it!!!
I was saying that each of us to discuss this to everyone we know...Maybe the maid, maybe our raltives our friends...We spead forwards news like wildfire and those who can read , get the info but not all...We should also be assertive...I have spoken about this to many maid servants and their friends and explained the inportance of precautionary measures....Even if you are married it is no guarantee that your partner is not going to some place, having sex n then transmitting the same on to you...
You have so many instances in the same office? It is mindblowing, the number of issues....For some reason I like "My Brother NIkhil" in Hindi which bought out the humanatarian aspect of an AIDS patient cumbled with being a homo! Great post man!
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