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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-10-07, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1992. AIDS support network formed By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot An organization has been formed to provide support to people who have tested HIV positive or have AIDS. It's called the Huron County HIV/AIDS Network and was formally introduced to the public last night at the Blyth Festival Community Hall. "Our bottom line is to offer support to anyone who is infected and affected and no consideration is given to their lifestyle," says network founder, Diane Aitken, Aids Coordinator for the Huron County Health Unit. Ms. Aitken says she started the network to meet the needs which she couldn't serve as AIDS coordinator. "My job is basically providing education and prevention programs," she says. "It became evident to me that a lot of needs of infected individuals and their family members weren't being served, mainly because we didn't know who they were." So, in June, she put up notices for interested persons to attend an information meeting. "Honestly, I didn't expect anyone to show up,"she admits. She was overwhelmed when 26 people came out the first meeting. Since then, several meetings have been held and last week, a temporary executive was elected. The three co-chairs of the network are Don and Elma Plant of Londesboro and John Meyers of Goderich. As well, the initial 26 interested persons has grown to nearly 45. "Our goal is to provide support, education and advocacy for persons infected and affected," says Ms. Aitken. The network is considering setting up a telephone hot line and designing a pamphlet to outline the Londesboro couple goes public about life with HIV Don and Elma Plant know first­ hand about HIV and AIDS because they're both HIV positive. Here is their story in Elma's own words. I am a first-generation Canadian of Dutch descent. I was bom and raised in the city of Prince George, in central British Columbia. At the age of 19 I came to the Clinton area to visit a "friend" of mine that I had met a year earlier. This person turned out to be much more than a friend because six months later Don Plant and I were married. I entered the glamourous, excit­ ing world of the farm wife. What a change. We were just starting a 50 sow farrow-to-finish operation plus Don and his father ran a broiler bam and cash-cropped. "I was expecting the usual neat little package most people expect from life. I knew there would be problems and some sor­ row but nothing in my life pre­ pared me for this." Elma Plant I was just starting to settle in when one aspect of my life began to change. Several months after we were married, I developed a bad case of viral meningitis. I was hos­ pitalized. It was a scary time, the more so because I was recently married, and far away from my family. However, I recovered quickly and over a 13-month period gave birth to two healthy sons. I was grateful for my healthy children but didn't really appreciate them until in August 1990 I had my first miscarriage in the 17th week. We found out the miscarriage was caused by an unusual form of uterine cancer. This was a matter of real concern because the doctor could find nothing in my medical background to explain why I'd developed this tumor. But God really blessed me because much to the doctor's surprise, the condition cleared up after a simple D and C. Three and a half months later, I developed another painful illness unusual to my age and gender called C6 shingles. This is a nerve infection of all the major nerve paths on the left side of the head with each nerve breaking into blis­ ters. The infection is not only unsightly but also very painful. Again, I was given full healing. Life continued, soon I was preg­ nant for the fourth time but this one ended after seven weeks as a tubal pregnancy. By now I was seriously wondering what was wrong with my body but the doctors convinced me that I was just having a run of bad luck and to carry on. Little did we know. It was August 91 when I devel­ oped my second case of viral meningitis. This time while I was in the hospital, they discovered I was pregnant again. The first 10 weeks were tense since we were sure my body couldn't handle a pregnancy at that time. Miraculous­ ly, I recovered quickly and the pregnancy continued normally. The doctors were sure this pregnancy was going to be a healthy one. I went for my regular pre-natal check-ups which included a whole range of routine blood tests. This time the doctor asked if he could do one extra on me. I gave permission guaranteeing the test would come back normal. How wrong I was. Four weeks later he called me in. After a lot of humming and haw­ ing, he told me I had tested HIV positive. Suffice it to say I have never been so devastated in my life. I was sent home with an outdated infor­ mation package to a husband and a mother who were just as unpre­ pared for the news as I was. The next six weeks are a blur to me. I remember doing a lot of cry­ ing and even more praying while trying to hide everything from sons who were 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 at that time. The worst part was waiting for Don's test results to come back. Our worst fears came true. Don is HIV positive too. The one hope we had left was that the boys would test negative. Three days before Christmas our prayers were answered. We then set ourselves to the task of learning all we could about this disease that has forever changed our lives and was threatening the life of our unborn baby. I'd like to share with you some of what we've learned. "Our lads know but they don't understand. When we talk about AIDS, the kids call it 'that stupid thing.' Elma Plant Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is thought to be caused by the virus Human Immunodefi­ ciency Virus, HIV. The facts are: -98 per cent of all people who test positive for HIV go on to develop full-blown AIDS -of those who develop full-blown AIDS, 97 per cent of them die in two to seven years -the duration of HIV status car­ ries from a time period of months to 15 years but the average time period between initial infection to the development of full-blown AIDS is nine years in males and five to seven years in females. The virus is especially difficult to find a cure for because of the fact it belongs to a group called a retro­ virus. This means instead of attach­ ing itself to the outside of a cell that it attacks, it enters directly inside that cell and takes over the function of the cell. After taking over the cell, it makes the cell produce more HTV instead of killing it This caus­ es two problems. First, because it is inside the host cells, anti-bodies cannot detect it and secondly, the new HIV being produced are always slightly different than the original one so the anti-bodies that do happen to catch a virus can't neutralize it. It's a vicious cycle where the immune system is always a step behind. Every time an HIV takes over an immune cell, it means there Taking a break Don and Elma Plant of Londesboro take a break from paperwork to share a smile. The couple has gone public with their story about living as HIV positive parents and are busy preparing speeches for upcoming presentations. AIDS coordinator educates public By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot There’s only one way to stop the AIDS epidemic, through education, and that's Diane Aitken's job. Ms, Aitken is the AIDS coordinator with the Huron County Health Unit, a position mandated by the provincial government four years ago. Her role is to make people aware of AIDS and HIV and how to prevent becoming infected. She speaks to schools, service clubs and community organizations handing out pamphlets and condoms. "We all need to be informed because the bottom line is, AIDS affects everyone in society either directly or indirectly," she says. She wants to gel the message out that people can protect themselves easily. "All® is hard to get,” she says. "If you are informed and practice responsible behavior, you really is one less cell there to produce an antibody; worse yet, one more cell producing altered HIV. Given time, your immune system is eventually overwhelmed and destroyed. As our immune system becomes more compromised, we become more susceptible to opportunistic infections. These are infections that healthy immune systems can easily destroy yet these same infections are usually the ones that prove fatal to us. There are hundreds of ways of being exposed to the virus but the have nothing to worry about." The problem is, knowledge doesn’t always translate into responsible behaviors, she says. This is especially true of the DIANE AITKEN most common is getting them from someone else. It is vital for you to understand that I am in greater dan­ ger from you than you are from me. That cold that has been nagging you for a few weeks could kill a person in the advanced stages of HIV infection. We are able to keep track of how quickly or slowly the disease is progressing. It is called a CD 4 or T-4 count. What it does is count the number of anti-body producing cells your body has left. A healthy Continued on page 26 younger audiences she speaks Jo. The problem she has with older audiences is dealing with their misconceptions. "There are a lot of myths floating around,” she says. One myth is that the HIV virus can pass through latex condoms, "Studies prove latex condoms are safe and the HIV virus is a large virus," she says. One valid concern is that the virus is constantly changing form and shape and could affect the accuracy of diagnosing, she admits. Ms. Aitken advises anyone who is even a li.ttle bit concerned about being infected to get tested immediately. As well, she urges any woman who is considering having a child to get tested since 20 to 50 per cent of babies catch the disease in the womb. People can get anonymous testing at the Options Clinic in London. For more information call 673-4427.