Project 7: A Story of a Red Ribbon (9 Dec 2010)
“I like Red Ribbon. My mom bought me a dress with a beautiful Red Ribbon on it. I remember my mom passed away five years ago because of… AIDS. I was so sad…lonely …and afraid.”
Fellow Toastmasters, this book tells stories of orphan children living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand.
Do you know what is HIV? What is AIDS? Yes, many people know but they may not understand. Many people around the world misunderstand HIV/AIDS, esp. how the disease is transmitted. Misunderstanding, misconceptions turns into fear, and then prejudice and… discrimination.
In US, a landlord refused to rent his apartment after learning his prospective tenant was HIV positive. In China, a woman was hospitalized for an eye infection. When the hospital learnt she was HIV positive, it repeatedly asked her to leave. The woman had no choice but to leave the hospital.. with the drip still attached to her arm. In HK, a young man told his boss about his HIV positive status. His company asked him to take no-pay leave to rest. He went back to office after one month. Even though he produced a doctor certificate that said he was fit for work, his company asked him again to take no-pay leave until he had.. fully.. recovered.
Can a person fully recovered from HIV/AIDS? Unfortunately, not yet! However, with proper care and medication, an infected person can live for another 20 odd years? 20 odd years is a long time!
Can you contract HIV by shaking hands with AIDS patients? Can you acquire HIV by sharing food or from saliva?
HIV is transmitted when an infected person’s blood, semen or vaginal secretions enter the body of another person. There are 3 common routes of this entry – # 1 Blood transfusion, #2 mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth and # 3 sexual intercourse. HIV gains foothold in China largely due to tainted blood transfusions.
China President Hu Jintao, Mother Teresa, Actress Vivian Chow and many other people..they have showed us that we are not putting ourselves at risk.. interacting with people living with HIV/AIDS. President Hu shook hands with AIDS patients. Mother Teresa hugged HIV positive children. And Vivian Chow said “You can’t catch AIDS thru’ saliva. When I visited the children with AIDS, their saliva were flying all over the place!”
Most people living with HIV/AIDS choose to conceal their disease. Why? Because they are afraid. They are afraid that people around them.. will reject, abandon or discriminate them. Medical studies show that people who conceal their disease have poorer physical health and increased psychological problems.
Ladies and Gentlemen, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is an obstacle to their recovery and self development. Discrimination is threatening their livelihood and their rights to lead a decent lives, their rights to live a meaningful 20 odd years.
It’s time to regard HIV/AIDS as a medical issue and free it of any stigma. It’s time to show our social responsibility instead of caring for our own rights. Actress Miriam Yeung, also HK Ambassador for UNAIDS, tells us “To care and accept. I can. He can. So can you! Show your care, acceptance and understanding. Support people living with HIV/AIDS. We all can!”
One way to show your care and acceptance is to make a donation to purchase Christmas gifts for people living with HIV/AIDS. I’ve some donation forms here! Take a form and take action to show your care and acceptance!
“Though I’m HIV positive, I would like to ask society to accept me and give me a chance so that this red ribbon can be as beautiful as other ribbons. If society would open their hearts and accept people living with HIV/AIDS, they will find that we are all equal and deserve to be treated with dignity. The Story of a Red Ribbon, 12 years old.”
Fellow Toastmasters, this book tells stories of orphan children living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand.
Do you know what is HIV? What is AIDS? Yes, many people know but they may not understand. Many people around the world misunderstand HIV/AIDS, esp. how the disease is transmitted. Misunderstanding, misconceptions turns into fear, and then prejudice and… discrimination.
In US, a landlord refused to rent his apartment after learning his prospective tenant was HIV positive. In China, a woman was hospitalized for an eye infection. When the hospital learnt she was HIV positive, it repeatedly asked her to leave. The woman had no choice but to leave the hospital.. with the drip still attached to her arm. In HK, a young man told his boss about his HIV positive status. His company asked him to take no-pay leave to rest. He went back to office after one month. Even though he produced a doctor certificate that said he was fit for work, his company asked him again to take no-pay leave until he had.. fully.. recovered.
Can a person fully recovered from HIV/AIDS? Unfortunately, not yet! However, with proper care and medication, an infected person can live for another 20 odd years? 20 odd years is a long time!
Can you contract HIV by shaking hands with AIDS patients? Can you acquire HIV by sharing food or from saliva?
HIV is transmitted when an infected person’s blood, semen or vaginal secretions enter the body of another person. There are 3 common routes of this entry – # 1 Blood transfusion, #2 mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth and # 3 sexual intercourse. HIV gains foothold in China largely due to tainted blood transfusions.
China President Hu Jintao, Mother Teresa, Actress Vivian Chow and many other people..they have showed us that we are not putting ourselves at risk.. interacting with people living with HIV/AIDS. President Hu shook hands with AIDS patients. Mother Teresa hugged HIV positive children. And Vivian Chow said “You can’t catch AIDS thru’ saliva. When I visited the children with AIDS, their saliva were flying all over the place!”
Most people living with HIV/AIDS choose to conceal their disease. Why? Because they are afraid. They are afraid that people around them.. will reject, abandon or discriminate them. Medical studies show that people who conceal their disease have poorer physical health and increased psychological problems.
Ladies and Gentlemen, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is an obstacle to their recovery and self development. Discrimination is threatening their livelihood and their rights to lead a decent lives, their rights to live a meaningful 20 odd years.
It’s time to regard HIV/AIDS as a medical issue and free it of any stigma. It’s time to show our social responsibility instead of caring for our own rights. Actress Miriam Yeung, also HK Ambassador for UNAIDS, tells us “To care and accept. I can. He can. So can you! Show your care, acceptance and understanding. Support people living with HIV/AIDS. We all can!”
One way to show your care and acceptance is to make a donation to purchase Christmas gifts for people living with HIV/AIDS. I’ve some donation forms here! Take a form and take action to show your care and acceptance!
“Though I’m HIV positive, I would like to ask society to accept me and give me a chance so that this red ribbon can be as beautiful as other ribbons. If society would open their hearts and accept people living with HIV/AIDS, they will find that we are all equal and deserve to be treated with dignity. The Story of a Red Ribbon, 12 years old.”
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