World AIDS Day Wishlist

Today is World AIDS Day! It is my first time to celebrate it. I for one, is a person living with AIDS. I am a living example because of the disease. I am one of the many who experienced the struggle and the pain.

But I am a survivor and I am a fighter. Now, I am happy.

As part of my own celebration of the Day, I made a wish list. I hope other people will listen.

1. I became infected because of ignorance.
    a. I wish people in our country would listen to the different organizations that are promoting awareness.
    b. I wish everyone would listen that HIV/AIDS is a real threat to our country now that the incidence rate is alarmingly increasing

2. I became infected because it was fun.
    a. I wish people should understand the value of being responsible, of taking care of their body.
    b. I wish everybody should practice safe sex. Wearing a condom doesn't take away the fun of sex.

3. I ended up in the hospital because of AIDS. I wish people would get tested early to avoid early infections.

4. I accepted that I have AIDS because of the love and support of my partner and our families. I wish people would be open to their love ones all the time. It is the love that brings all of us together even in the darkest hours. Only love can understand and not discriminate.

5. I got infected because I allowed it to happen. I wish people could say NO if it's risky. NO to not wearing a condom. NO to promiscuous sexual behaviors. NO to drug addiction and sharing of needles. NO to recreational and enhancing drugs. NO to alcoholism which can lead to us not thinking rationally.

6. People get infected because they were not informed early. I wish that schools would instill values early to the youth's mind about the disease, it's causes and mode of transmission. I wish that educators be more vocal about it so everybody won't be afraid to talk about it.

7. I got treatment because of an international funding group.
    a. I wish that our government would acknowledge that the numbers presented by DOH are not just numbers... they are real people suffering and surviving.
    b. I wish that our government should pay more attention to local funding of new machines for testing, more decentralized accredited HIV/AIDS hubs providing cheap medicines and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS nationwide.
    c. I wish that the government can strengthen more the awareness programs in the country.
 
8. I am still a person, a human being.
    a. I wish that people like me can soon come out to our own communities, to our country and have a unifying voice that the disease really exists.
    b. I wish that there would no longer be discrimination, so we can all start becoming role models to other people. Only through our own experiences with the disease that we can help to fully spread awareness.
    c. I wish that various religious and or conservative groups should not condemn us. We are people. We are not demons. We are not cursed or punished. We deserve to be treated like every one else.

It maybe wishful thinking but everyone knows that all these can be attained. We just need to hold hands and be united in the fight.

Happy World AIDS Day to everybody!

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