Who's Positive

Honestly I don't really have a whole lot to say. I know I've been remiss in blogging for a while now. I have been very busy with preparing for my 5 year old to start school and with my oldest stepchild graduating high school and heading off to college. I did call my clinic to find out when my next check up was because July will have been 3 months and found out he didn't want to see me until August. I am taking that as a good sign since when my health is bad they want to see me sooner not later lol.
We did recently have a new addition to our family which happened quite by accident. I live in an upstairs apartment well the other morning I hear crying coming from outside. I thought it might be the new baby next door so didn't think much of it. Then I got to really listening and realized that it wasn't a baby, well at least not of the human variety, but a cat. I opened my door to find the cutest little black and white kitten. I'm not sure if someone stuck her on my porch or if she actually climbed those stairs on her own. The only thing I'm sure of is she decided that my apartment is her home pretty much instantly. So we let the munchkin name her and she decided on Kitty as the kitten's name. Kitty has decided as well that I'm the human that she loves the most and she is constantly sleeping on my stuff or following me through the house. She does love to play with the munchkin and sneak attacks her every chance she gets, which is quite humorous. Well that's all for my update.

22,385 news articles containing HIV as searched on google news in the last 30 days
59,351 news articles containing swine flu as searched on google news in the last 30 days

WHY!? 36,966 more articles about swine flu than HIV/AIDS - why? why are we not talking about HIV/AIDS more than the swine flu? If we were to treat HIV/AIDS like we have the swine flu - would be we looking at the same epidemic?

According to the World Health Organization’s most recent figures, almost 40,000 people in 88 countries have been infected by the H1N1 swine flu virus worldwide, including 167 deaths.

Number of people living with HIV/AIDS in 2006*

Total: 39.5 million

Adults: 37.2 million

Women: 17.7 million

Children under 15: 2.3

Misc. facts and figures Number of AIDS Deaths in 2006
2.9 million. (2.6 million adults and 380,000 children under 15)

Number of Orphaned Children by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa at the End of 2003
12 million

By December 2003 women accounted for nearly 50 percent of all people living with HIV worldwide, and for 57 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Young people (15-24 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide, more than 6000 become infected with HIV every day.

An estimated five million people in low and middle income countries do not have the AIDS drugs which could save their lives.

I just do not understand it. National HIV Testing Day - June 27th - Know Your Status!

One member of our group "KNOW YOUR STATUS! GET TESTED FOR HIV (http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/543?recruiter_id=1349) on facebook says "I just got my test results back today and mine was negative. I am happy and healthy and glad to know this. This means I can continue to protect myself, and encourage others to get tested and keep themselves healthy and happy!"

June 27th, 2009 - a day which many will never forget! Many like you will go and empower themselves to know their status - some, on this day, National HIV Testing Day, will find out for the first time they are HIV-positive. Others will pass, pass a test that could have changed their lives forever - and the lives of everyone around them forever.

I am HIV positive. Nearly 6 years ago I went and got tested. I found out I was a young person facing the most horrible thing in my life - six years later - I am still vibrant, living my life the way I want to live it, dating, do the things I want to - but living like anyone else. I found out early, I can get treatment early, I can monitor my virus and manage it as if it is a chronic illness - which for now, I hardly even notice I have until I take my meds at night.

I ask you, I urge you, I implore you to get tested - empower yourself, your friends, family, anyone to go out get tested and know their status.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - If society took HIV as serious as they are taking the "swine" flu - would we still have the same epidemic we have today?

Get Tested. Visit - http://www.whospositive.org for more information and testing locations. Sign up for our list-serve!

Thank you.

Tom Donohue
National HIV Awareness Speaker
Founding Director, Who's Positive

Today, April 28, 2009, Who's Positive learned of the death of Kahlo Benavidez. Kahlo would have been 23 on June 18th. He was the Health Services Program Coordinator for Santa Fe Mountain Center.Kahlo was a vital part of the Who's Positive organization. He was the very first person invited to take part on the Operation Get Tested tour and had continued to make himself available for speaking engagements up to his death on April 25, 2009.

Kahlo's voice was heard all over the world during the tour. His words touched so many students and influenced many more to empower themselves to know their status. Who's Positive is deeply saddened of his death and will always remember his smile, professionalism and warmth.

Kahlo wanted to make a difference, that he did. In a survey that he completed for the tour Kahlo said 'I firmly believe that the work we do today benefits the world we choose to create tomorrow" Kahlo the world you helped create,the impact you've made on lives across the country, the hearts you've touched will remember you and your work forever. Our loss is heaven's gain. Your work continues through those you've touched.

Keep posted to whospositive.org for more information. At the request of the family, no memorial service will take place.

A profile of Kahlo can be found at: http://www.whospositive.org/ogt_kahlo.php To contact our organization, contact Tom Donohue, Founding Director at 804-310-2986.

More information will be forthcoming on a memorial tributes hosted by the Fe Mountain Center. A tribute page will be posted to this website soon, and until then feel free to comment on pictures of Kahlo during the tour - http://www.whospositive.org/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=520

So I met someone awhile ago, a friend of my best friend, who has known about my status for months and months and months. A few weeks ago we hung out to watch TV, at some point when we were talking he leaned in and pecked me on the lips, not even a real kiss. Well tonight, he messaged me because he’s been having night sweats and apparently the only thing he can think of is that I infected him. Are people really this stupid? Do I have to defend myself to people that are this uninformed? Don’t things ever get better?