World AIDS Day

Many of us get so wrapped up in our daily lives that we forget to pay attention to the rest of the world. We've all been guilty of whining and complaining about all that is wrong in our lives. Very seldom do we think about those who suffer every day. There are people living right next door to us who are suffering every day from intolerable diseases;ones that will plague them for the rest of their lives.

So today, I ask that we all pay a little more attention to those who constantly suffer. I have written a lot about the need for more activists to fight against Cancer. Today I am asking that we all start to pay a little more attention to fight against HIV and AIDS. For years people with HIV and AIDS have had to walk around with a scarlet letter. People automatically assume that people who have contracted the disease are careless, disgusting, immoral people who don't deserve our attention or sympathy. But those people are mothers, daughters, sisters, teachers, and friends. A killer like HIV and AIDS does not discriminate. But it does do is chip away at the soul. It plays mind games with the infected and causes them grief and strife. It tears apart families and leaves children to be orphans. A 2008 study by the CDC indicated that African Americans accounted for 52% of new HIV diagnoses and 48% of AIDS diagnoses, 32% whites, and 20% Hispanic or Latino. With such alarming numbers facing our communities, we can't help but take notice and take ACTION.

HIV/AIDS is no longer a disease that is only attributed to people who are homosexual or drug users. Many of the new cases are from people who contracted the disease from their partners. These are people who were in long term, monogamous relationships and had no idea that they were at risk. We have to be honest with ourselves and realize that it could happen to any of us. We have to do our part in fighting the spread of the disease by getting tested on a regular basis, wearing protection while having intercourse, and educating our children about the disease. Please take this pledge to spread awareness by leaving your name in the comments section of this post. We have to work together if change will ever come.