Wednesday, August 18, 1999

Would it be possible to see or obtain information on how to care for children with HIV - toddlers in nappies and school age?

Sorry that it has taken me sooo very long to reply to your question.....didn't know where to point you as l have not looked into the area of children.
I have noted down two websites which may lead you to people who have more experience with the care of children. Also if you are living in Australia, or just need better leads than l can give, then l would contact Suzanne who works at the Access Information Centre at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. She is a great resource of information! Her e-mail is access@alfred.org.au
Here are the sites which l looked at but l found when doing a search that there is a lot out there on information for children.
http://www.AIDSkids.org
I wish that l could be of more help....but l hope that you have found what you need or this information will help you get it. Thanks for visiting my website www.HIVAIDS.webcentral.com.au I update the site weekly, so keep visiting to read new stories and peoples experiences. If you have the time in the future it would be fantastic if you could write something of your experiences with caring HIV+ children and their needs and experiences.....as l mentioned, there is nothing on the site regarding children and it would be much appreciated.
Good luck with your information search!
All the best,
Carolena Helderman
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer

Dear Carolena
Thank you for your persistence on this topic, you have been a great help. I will follow up your websites this week.
I did find some very good information recently but can't tell you the site as I lent it to a foster care organisation. Will let you know the site when it is returned.
I will also keep in mind the idea of writing about my experience of caring for a HIV child.
Bye for now
Ann s

Friday, August 27, 1999

name: Debra,
Executive Director, AMANI Health and Wellness Center
My name is Debra Parmer, I am Executive Director of the AMANI Health and Wellness Center in Akron, Ohio. I am very interested in learning of your experience with support groups for women who are HIV positive. There are currently no such groups in the Akron area. In our community, AIDS is still a secret. We are experiencing a major shift in infection rates in the African American community. Married heterosexual African American women. You see the problem is that the husbands of these newly infected women have sex with men who are infected. These husbands are returning home to their unsuspecting wives and infecting them. I would appreciate it if you could share information concerning your experience in the area of support.
Thank you and I look forward to your response.

Thanks for visiting the site Debra. I have passed your e-mail onto 'Positive Women Victoria' who may be able to give you some feedback.
Carolena Helderman
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer

Monday, September 6, 1999

Hi my name is Tami McMahon and I work with the WA AIDS Council in a fundraising and marketing capacity. I found both your sites helpful and am delighted to link to these.
My perhaps only negative comment is AIDS (particularly in Australia) is always listed in upper case letters rather than AIDS. Especially in organisational names such as Victorian AIDS Council or the WA AIDS Council.
However the stories and information far out way my one negative comment. I also have some positive stories which will soon be on our site and I hope in the near future to also provide some extra stories for your site.
In WA we are seeing an increase in the number of heterosexual women being diagnosed with HIV.
I wish you every success with the site and look forward to keeping in touch.
You should check our a poem written by a UK women called Ruth. "Ruths Poem is very powerful and reminds me constantly why I do my job. It is written as a mother asking who will care for her child when she dies and how she answers the child when ill. We forget sometimes the effect on families of someone who is positive. I found Ruth's Poem when I went through Tony's World - Tony is a remarkable young man in New York and also have a wonderful site not necessarily form a man's perspective but form a young man who is so positive and inspiring in spite of his diagnosive. Both are worth checking and adding as links
Tami

Thanks Tami, I'll check out the links to the stories on your page and I'm glad you've found my sites useful- keep an eye on it over the next month as there will be a lot going on.....l'm about to add 5 stories today.
Thanks for pulling me up on the UPPER CASE.........l think that l somehow picked up a bad habit over the past 4 years and went to lower case- was it perhaps other web sites that put me in this direction?! In anycase, I'm going to have a proof read of the site and fix it up- thanks!
Carolena
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer

Hello my name is Nancy, It has been almost 7 years now in April, The worst thing I have ever been though in my life. I had to watch my brother John die from AIDS,He was 33 yrs old when he died. I will never forget what I had to remember from that day April 14th.John weighed only 45 pounds he will Having a hard time breathing, my aunt was using a devise to suck the water from his lungs so he could breathe a little better.
My family was there around the bed, just waiting for him to let go. I was crying so hard and so much that I couldn`t shut my eyes. You see john was my only brother and we loved each other so much. I still have the nightmares, of that night. Watching him turn blue from the feet up,because his body was shutting down. To make a long story short,I finally told him goodbye. We never said goodbye before,but I knew that night I had to say it to him. I bent over the bed he was resting at this time because a doctor came and gave him something to rest him. I shut my eyes and cried for a moment with my eyes shut I told him goodbye.
When I opened my eyes to look at him just one last time, I saw a tear stream down his face,I knew then he had heard me. I knew he was saying the same to me, but he just couldn`t say it,he was too weak. I smiled when I saw the tear,and I said to him You heard me didn`t you. Then I said I will see you in heaven someday.
He past away about 2 hours later,I wish sometimes I could have went with him. I do miss him a lot and I will never forget what all he went through.
Please don`t ever think that you can`t get AIDS,Because that is what John had said right before he was told that he had AIDS. AIDS caused my brother his life,and my life too. I don`t have that sweet brother here with me I just have our short memories

name: Davi na
I AM INTERESTED IN FINDING SOME CHAT LINES WHERE I CAN HAVE DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE,+ WOMEN AND HETEROSEXUAL MEN. PLEASE CAN YOU SEND ME ANY ADDRESSES YOU MAY HAVE FOR THIS. THANKS AND I'LL BE IN TOUCH

Davina, The Body has a chat section: http://www.thebody.com/connect.shtml
I will try and research how many chat sessions are out there as there have been many people wanting to chat with others. I will list my findings in the Links section of this site.
Carolena
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer

name: davina
I am living in a country where as if the Government were to to find out my status I would be deported and Black listed ,never to return again I have grown up in this country on and off since the age of 6 .
It is therefore very difficult to have any interaction with other + people as I have to be discreet. I only get to talk to those few people who know and can understand . I would love to get in touch with some + MEN ,are there any sites or addresses for PERSONAL ADS?
I have been living with HIV now for 9 1/2 years and have been considerably healthy I was living in New York at the time and contracted it from a boyfriend of whom I'd had a 2 year relationship ,with a break-up in between I think he knew the whole time he had it and didn't want to tell me ,couldn't!
I returned to this country where I live now since I found out and I live a totally healthy life I am a surfer of many years and I am quite a successful artist I have exhibitions of my work frequently I visit Sydney a lot but never meet any people hetero + I don't really look.
Anyway I would like some feed back thanks for listening

Davina, You may like to send an e-mail to Staight Arrows who are based in Melbourne,Australia.
You can e-mail Straight Arrows at straightarrows@bigpond.com
They may be able to tell you who to make contact with on your next trip to Sydney.
Carolena Helderman
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer

Tuesday, October 5, 1999

name: Dan
I am interested in hearing how heterosexual people contacted the virus??

Hi Dan, I am going to forward your question to Suzanne at the Access Information Centre, I'm sure that she will be able to give you a listing of a web site that will contain information that will answer your question.
All the best
Carolena Helderman
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer

* Also look at Feedback Four - a reader has posted an answer to your question.

I wasn't actually going to comment on the content of the site, but after reading it, I just have to.
I'm normal, non HIV+ person, who lives a healthy/safe lifestyle... I've always thought I've been safe from HIV/AIDS (in our high school, we were constantly given many safe sex and AIDS conferences), but, however, upon reading the "Discovering your Positive: THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE!!!!" story, well, I felt a jolt.
The reason for this is that I've heard supposed stories (either from friends or through e-mail/icq chains..) That some malicious person would leave a syringe in movie theatre seats so that you would get infected just like the person in the story did. I'm pretty sure the management of movie theatres prevent this from happening, but the threat of getting infected through a syringe somewhere else still remains... That is something that wasn't mentioned in all of those presentations... and for that, I thank you very much.
I also wanted to ask a favour. I'm currently attending a Fundamentals in Education Course in the University of Puerto Rico (RUM), and I'm currently looking for any information regarding how AIDS/HIV affects the people, but specifically the students, in a school. If you have any information/links or somewhere I could go to, please, send it over, as your help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again for a very well-made and informative site.

I'm not sure how to answer your question, at this stage there is no stories from HIV+ teenagers or students.
I'll look out for any websites which may be able to tell you this information.
Carolena
HIV/AIDS Positive Stories/Positive Women website designer