Blog 10

Well my simulation is going to end tonight. It was very hard keeping up with all of the pills I had to take. I had chosen example A simply because I figured all of the regimens would be hard to deal with, so I just went with the first choice. I wrote my journal entries in my composition book that I actually used for school. I would make one to two entries per day. Tomorrow I will work on typing up my entries and review the rest of the slides for the module. I hope that this preparation pays off like it did for the last quiz. I studied the slides days before I took the quiz and it really made a difference because I didn’t have to keep going back and forth to read the slides during the timed quiz. I only missed one of my does during my entire week on the “medication” and I thought that was a good thing, but when you think of it what could happen if you forgot in real life? I intend to write about any research I find out about the medicine that I forgot to take. I hope that all of you are keeping up with your studies during these intense last few weeks of school.
The question of the week this week was very interesting and was asking who we would tell if we found out that we were HIV positive. I always thought about this question before being asked it in this class and I knew the only person I would tell would be my mother. I would probably tell her with tears in my eyes and I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy, but I would let her know. She and I are very close and I would want her to know, even though she would be hurt, I know that she would be there for me and support me no matter what. I would consider telling my very best friend, but it wouldn’t be until I had come to accept myself and be comfortable with my diagnosis. I would tell my mother right away, but anyone else would have to wait a while before they found out.

Did You Know?

According to a report written in Psychology & Sociology, there are surprisingly few studies that examine differences in HIV knowledge between black and white college students. I am currently researching organizations and teams that are trying to reach out to the black college community. I feel as though with the numbers of young, black adults infected with HIV so high, more should and could be done to at least spread awareness. This report also made a good point in saying that Facebook is a good way to spread the word, since it is such a popular way of communication now.


http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/08/27/study.reveals.gap.hiv.testing.knowledge.among.college.students

Blog 8

A little picture I found. I thought it was cute, yet important.


Well I can certainly feel the semester coming to an end. I have just started working on the assignment for next week that includes the journal and simulation summary. I know it is going to be a lot of work, which is why I decided to start on it early. I have studied the slides from modules 5 and 6 so far, and tomorrow I will review module 7 tomorrow so that I can take the quiz tomorrow or Friday. I am a little apprehensive about taking the quiz, since we only get one chance to take it and I am not familiar with the format of the questions. I am sure that we will all get through this and next week okay even though it’s a large load to take on.



If anyone is interested, I still haven’t gotten my results back. I am so afraid for some reason. I asked my boyfriend to come with me when I go pick them up and he is determined that everything is going to be okay. I think that with him there I will be able to look at my results.



The question of the week this week was pretty interesting. I think a lot of people might have felt a little weird thinking about one of their grandparents having sex, but I didn’t think that it was that surprising. I mentioned in my response that my grandmother had actually told me about a man asking her out and how their date went. If she ever told me that she was HIV positive I would of course be shocked, but I wouldn’t treat her any different. I would ask that she let me tell the family, or she do it herself, so that she has a lot of support. If she wanted to keep her news a secret I would respect her wishes but I would want her to get on some medication even though there were side effects. I love how we keep getting scenarios that make us think. I don’t believe that we would ever put ourselves in these situations if it were not for this class.

Did You Know?

There are several scholarships that are given to students that are HIV positive? I was shocked and delighted at the same time when I found this out. I am glad that there are scholarships available for those students, since so many people treat HIV positive patients like something is wrong with them or like they are about to die. Some of the scholarships include:

• San Francisco State University (SFSU)
  SFSU offers the Robert Westwood Scholarship to assist a student who has been diagnosed with HIV (documentation of the diagnosis is required) and who has plans for working with others affected by HIV/AIDS. $2,000 in funding will be awarded to an applicant pursuing any major who has attained a minimum GPA of 3.0.


• Ohio State University
  The Harold A. McIntosh Scholarship, offered by Ohio State University, provides two scholarships in the amount of $1,200 each. One will be awarded to a student who is living with HIV/AIDS and one will be made available to a candidate with a history of service and leadership to the community in regard to the affliction.


• James and Colin Lee Wozumi Scholarship for students who are goal-oriented, HIV positive, and/or focusing on the treatment and/or eradication of HIV.
  

http://collegecandy.com/2009/04/02/hivaids-%E2%80%94-a-very-real-risk-for-college-women/

http://www.collegescholarships.org/health/aids-hiv.htm

http://www.pridefoundation.org/scholarships/scholarship-funds/

Blog 7

I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break! Mine was great. I thought I would either sacrifice studying and go out or vice versa, but I was able to get a lot of work done and still enjoy myself. I am very upset at the health center that I went to for my HIV test because I still haven’t gotten my results. I need the results to do my work for Friday and I am only able to call because I don’t have a car right now. Needless to say that I am stressing out about this. Besides my dilemma I am glad that I have been able to catch up on a lot of my assignments.

For the question of the week the scenario was about being a parent of an HIV positive child and trying to get a new dentist. I know how I can be and I would definitely give the receptionist a piece of my mind since she lied to me. I would try to be calm at first, just to hear the explanation she gave. I would call a lawyer immediately and do something about the discrimination I received.

We were warned about how fast the next few weeks of school were going to go and I feel prepared. Spring break was very helpful in preparing me for the “rollercoaster” that’s left ahead. Not only for this class, but all of our classes are going to fly by soon. I am exciting to learn more, especially at the men’s panel that is coming up in a few weeks. I also decided to read another book from the list that we were given, since I read reviews on others and they seem really interesting. Good luck on the second half of the semester guys!

Did You Know?

A study done on historically black colleges and universities in five states showed that students overall did not think they were at high risk for getting HIV. Women scored higher on an HIV knowledge test, but more men were recorded using HIV testing facilities on campus. This made me stop and think because of how many young black women are infected. Does this information explain the so called “down low” and how many black men that might know they are infected but don’t share the information with their female partners? I am upset that more young black women in college are not going to get tested.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ765296&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ765296

I just finished watching the last movie on the list for the assignment this week and the name of it was Silverlake Life. I was saving it for last because of the warning about how graphic it was. All I can say is that I’m glad I got the warning because it was intense. It was a personal documentary of two gay lover’s battle with AIDS. I was so shocked to see the transformation of one of the men, all the way until he died in his bed. His lover filmed everything to when he was being taken to the funeral home. It was a horrible sight to see how he had wasted away to skin and bones. I’m glad spring break is approaching because my mind can only take so much more information!

I researched two famous people who had died from AIDS earlier. I chose one person I had heard of, Perry Ellis, and one that I had no clue about, Larry Kert. Perry Ellis was a fashion designer whom I am familiar with because my boyfriend loves the line of cologne. Perry worked his way up the fashion ‘ladder’ in the 1970s and eventually opened his own line of clothing, without even knowing how to draw. He grew his line to include shoes, perfume and accessories that are all still popular today. While researching his life, it was difficult to find information about the exact details of his life. Some websites say he died of hepatitis, and some say a coma due to encephalitis. While this information is true, he became so ill because of AIDS. It was also kept hush-hush during the time of his death (1986) because this was the time when no one wanted to talk about AIDS.

Larry Kert was a child actor and most of us probably would know him most from the movie West Side Story. He was a handsome star who could also sing, and had a lot of success on Broadway. He had a male companion named Ron Pullen, according to the NY Times, but there was not much more information about his personal life that I could find. He died at the age of 60 in 1991 due to AIDS. My guess is that he was well into his fifties before he became infected.

Did You Know?
In 2002 a college student was charged with having sex with someone without informing them he had HIV. The young man was given a prison sentence and community service, but was still allowed to take classes. The girl tested negative to the disease but what I would have done to him if he did that to me! Make sure you wrap it up people, because you never know!

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_14_102/ai_91915327/

http://gayfortoday.blogspot.com/2007/03/perry-ellis.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/07/obituaries/larry-kert-60-a-romantic-lead-in-the-original-west-side-story.html?pagewanted=1

http://www.chaimedia.com/list/9.html