The Fight against HIV/AIDS

I was cheesing from ear to ear on the phone with the latest guy I met through online dating. He was definitely someone I wanted to get to know more about, since our first initial meeting. He was tall and handsome, a nice smile, had a great job that he loved and he wanted to start a family one day with the right woman. 

He had me at 'Hello' and like the hopeless romantic I am, I was beaming on cloud nine. Of course with most conversations with the opposite sex, our conversations went from light hearted to deep and sexual. This is where I fell from cloud nine and down to reality.

I find it very disheartening that as a people some of us can be so keen to speaking so openly about sex but when it comes to the topic of getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases we want to change the subject. "I don't do that." was his response to me asking him if he got tested on a regular basis. 

At first I was confused, thinking maybe he didn't hear me, unfortunately for him he did. That's when I began to realize that this great guy who had a picture perfect life on the outside was really an eye catching Monet from far away but up close and personal he was not attractive at all. He clearly lacked common sense and was a huge part of our society's problem when it came to our fight against AIDS. 

Per research from "Centers of disease control and prevention" 38% of Blacks aged 13 to 29 account for nearly 25,000 infections estimated to occur on an annual basis. AIDS is the *3rd* leading cause of death among black women aged 25 to 34 and BLACK MEN aged 35 to 44! 

These are all hard facts. Facts that we have some how tried our best to ignore but the state of our people and where we are headed is nothing to shy away from. This is our reality and regardless of how it started, we need to find a way to end it. Getting tested is KEY to fighting the fight on HIV/AIDS. 

Key things: 

Become knowledgeable, get informed. Do your own research and learn everything you need to know about this killing disease. 

Don't be a fool.  Get tested and treated.  Knowing is the first step in this process it could save your life and others you have been in contact with. 

ACT! become an advocate and speak out on HIV and AIDS get involved in your community.  Raise your voice with blogging the facts, providing helpful resources and tools for those that may not have a clue on where and how to begin. 

USE PROTECTION! If you're ever in a situation where you feel as though you are being persuaded to not use protection be smart and think with your brain. It only takes one time, this is your life, if you're not on mission to commit suicide protect yourself! 

SPEAK UP. Don't be afraid to come forth and speak to others about your experiences with HIV, you never know who your words can touch and the lives you can make a difference in.