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I'm going to just dive into this taboo, un-talked about subject: HIV.
Everyone knows about it, no one speaks about it. I first learned about HIV in grade school- it seemed like such a daunting, devastating disease. The ultimate disease that everyone should fear.
Even going through nursing school and learning more about HIV and its effects on ones body- it was still something I feared- something I didn't truly understand.
Fast-forward to July of 2010- I stood in the emergency room of a public hospital. In front of me a little boy with sores from his waist down- his mother had left him in the care of his father for 6 weeks and the man did not change the child's diaper at all- yes AT ALL! I watched as the child cried- reaching out for someone to hear him, and comfort him. I then heard someone say the boy is HIV+. As a nurse I would have liked to think I was somewhat educated on the topic, but hearing that scared me.
I could not get the sight of that little boy out of my mind; it broke me. To this day I still see him and pray that he is healed and doing well.
When I came back in 2011, I volunteered at various places and I would hear of kids who were HIV+ not from staff, but from other volunteers who had heard. No staff members talked about HIV. I watched these little kids thrive, no different than any other children. All the years of education on the topic and seeing them, I felt like I knew nothing. I had all of these misconceptions- and as I worked and loved on those children, each of those misconceptions melted away.
After my visit to Africa in 2011, Jim & I got married and started the adoption process. As we went through the paperwork, and we talked about being open to medical needs, HIV came up. I had done research on it since my visit in 2011 and I presented Jim with the information I had found.
Researching about HIV was a humbling experience for me- I had SO many things wrong.
I found that many kids are overlooked in the adoption world because of their HIV status. It broke my heart- the vision of the kids that I worked with each day flashed through me mind. It didn't seem fair.
As a couple, Jim and I decided we would be open to adopting a child with HIV and/or special needs. We wanted to just go with the plan that God had laid out for our adoption process and not try mold His plan into what we wanted, or what we thought we could handle.
What I found while doing some research about HIV is how WEAK of a virus it is. There has NEVER been one household transmission within a family- that's right, not even one. Also, there were no cases of transmission through sports- you see HIV is an incredibly weak virus outside of the body. Once the blood hits the air, the virus dies and makes transmission very hard. Beyond that, in order for the virus to actually transmit to someone from a cut or blood- the blood of the infected individual has to go directly into an open wound of someone else. HIV infected blood that accidentally gets on someones skin will do absolutely nothing because the skin acts as a barrier. Along with this, HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva, tears, bodily functions, or sweat. This is just a tiny bit of the information that we researched- for more information Project Hopeful is a wonderful resource.
While God had a very unique plan for our adoption process, and we are blessed to have a healthy little girl- I have seen firsthand how HIV affects people here. I am able to volunteer at an orphanage in town each week, and there is a little boy there that I absolutely love- he is HIV positive. He gives me the sweetest kisses on my cheeks, I clean up his runny little nose, and he hugs me like crazy each time I see him. You see, I don't believe that HIV should define the outcome of someones life, or the way they are treated. When the sweet innocent eyes of little boy who, by circumstance, was infected with a virus through birth looks up at you and smiles the biggest smile- would you pass him by simply because of his HIV status?
From all of this, I want to end with this- HIV does not define the outcome of someone's life. There are medications today that, if taken properly, can make the virus undetectable in the blood...that's right- UNDETECTABLE. I have met the most beautiful people who were impacted by HIV somehow- either they were positive, or they had someone close to them who was. I hope that one day, there is no shame or stigma associated with this disease.
As a couple, Jim and I decided we would be open to adopting a child with HIV and/or special needs. We wanted to just go with the plan that God had laid out for our adoption process and not try mold His plan into what we wanted, or what we thought we could handle.
What I found while doing some research about HIV is how WEAK of a virus it is. There has NEVER been one household transmission within a family- that's right, not even one. Also, there were no cases of transmission through sports- you see HIV is an incredibly weak virus outside of the body. Once the blood hits the air, the virus dies and makes transmission very hard. Beyond that, in order for the virus to actually transmit to someone from a cut or blood- the blood of the infected individual has to go directly into an open wound of someone else. HIV infected blood that accidentally gets on someones skin will do absolutely nothing because the skin acts as a barrier. Along with this, HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva, tears, bodily functions, or sweat. This is just a tiny bit of the information that we researched- for more information Project Hopeful is a wonderful resource.
While God had a very unique plan for our adoption process, and we are blessed to have a healthy little girl- I have seen firsthand how HIV affects people here. I am able to volunteer at an orphanage in town each week, and there is a little boy there that I absolutely love- he is HIV positive. He gives me the sweetest kisses on my cheeks, I clean up his runny little nose, and he hugs me like crazy each time I see him. You see, I don't believe that HIV should define the outcome of someones life, or the way they are treated. When the sweet innocent eyes of little boy who, by circumstance, was infected with a virus through birth looks up at you and smiles the biggest smile- would you pass him by simply because of his HIV status?
From all of this, I want to end with this- HIV does not define the outcome of someone's life. There are medications today that, if taken properly, can make the virus undetectable in the blood...that's right- UNDETECTABLE. I have met the most beautiful people who were impacted by HIV somehow- either they were positive, or they had someone close to them who was. I hope that one day, there is no shame or stigma associated with this disease.
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