"Know your status"

"Hope House" commemorated Aids day on 30 November. As so many organisations call to come together on December 1, we normally gather a day or more before.

This year's theme is: "Keep the promise. Know your status". Every speech of the day underlined the importance of doing so.

I was the last speaker and my first comment was: "Maybe I should ask how many of us know our status?". Saying we do, would be the best message we could give and the best way to commemorate the day.

Then I somehow made a bet: "I believe no one in this gathering was tested earlier than me". That, probably, made everyone wonder why I said so. In fact, I had forgotten about it. I always thought that the first time I was tested was in the late '90s as part of a check up but it was not. That was the second time of many times that followed.

The very first time was at the end of 1981 as part of a requirement for a visa. I was only 20 years' old and not only little did we know about HIV/Aids but also I could never imagine how much it would become part of my life. As we still say, "we are all affected and/or infected". 

The speeches reminded us where we are coming from and how much has been achieved. We remembered the suffering, the tears, the struggle to keep our hope alive, the funerals we attended. We prayed daily to God asking to keep us strong but also to help us stop so much suffering. God listened to our prayers. Though there is still no cure for Aids, it is no longer a death sentence.

In the context of this year's theme, I believe that knowing our status, accessing treatment and being faithful to it is the way a Christian thanks God for His love and care.

Click HERE for photos of the event