The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. ~Hellen Keller ~
not much of a post today, really. more like a tribute. with all the hooplah surrounding mj's passing, somehow i feel that a true warrior is slipping out relatively unnoticed. damn, she did have a life too. and far from perfect. but the audacity it took to film herself while she endured the horrors of chemo, baring to the world (or a part of it) the much less photoshopped side of her life. it is said "it ain't easy being pretty", which i am sure she could attest to, but it has got to be much more challenging to both tell the truth and NOT be pretty.
The idea of an experienced HIV positive person working with a newly diagnosed person is not unique. It makes a lot of sense on many levels. There are so many things to learn and absorb as one enters the HIV treatment arena, i.e. names of meds, blood test results, acronyms to name just a few. Also, however, there are habits that need to change for one to become successful with their own healthcare. Recommended doctor visits must increase from the sporadic ones that most people engage in, or on an as-needed basis, to regular checkups with blood draws involved to monitor the progress of the virus. This usually becomes once every 3 to 6 months in most cases and is a far cry from the now and then behaviors prior.
And finally there are the emotional hills and valleys that accompany a diagnosis. A person moves through them, much as they move through the loss of a loved one. There is shock, denial and disbelief, anger, bargaining and finally acceptance. Many of us who were diagnosed early on may not have grieved properly as so many of our contemporaries were slipping away completely and we might have been busy attending funerals and helping sick friends, although keeping busy felt like it kept us sane in so many ways. But grieving our former health is normal and almost required before true acceptance kicks in.
This is merely a snapshot of the roller coaster that new Poz persons embark upon and it may be that newly hired and degreed case managers may not have a full grasp on the enormity of emotions and questions involved. But experienced Poz persons are more likely to understand these nuances. We have trekked these emotional “14’ers” as it were, and can make great guides. HIV ONE ON ONE allows us to do this. We need you. These newcomers need you. HIV ONE ON ONE is meant to develop and train people to do just this. Take what we know and reach out and share that knowledge.
The 1st rollout will be a training of “trainers”. This will be geared specifically toward experience poz persons who are also good communicators and will be comfortable teaching the self-management module and the “how to be a mentor” module to groups of people. They should have experience in public speaking and a solid history of recurring and steady healthcare. They would also benefit from the ability to troubleshoot an emotional situation and be comfortable asking for help in such situations. There will be an application process for everyone to ensure transparency and equity in the process. We are hoping to be inclusive of all genders, all races, and all languages.
We are looking for mentors as well, but that training and targeted roundup will happen more toward June 2009. There will be room as we continue to roll out for all who want to be involved to be involved. And we would like each and every one of you to be involved. Even if it’s simply supporting our idea and steering people towards it, we need all of you to consider getting on board. This ride may not be easy, but it doesn’t have to be lonely, either. I hope you’ll consider joining our efforts. Please email rebuiltdenver@yahoo.com to ask for more information and/or to get an application.
today's sound choice is a acoustic remake of young folks by james blunt. i absolutely find it enchanting.
yesterday i was moderating a post on SIN which contained this link.
Carl was such a genuinely nice guy. He moved here from LA and became a member of SIN shortly thereafter. He contributed to the last SIN newsletter, too (on page 3 if you want to read it).
He was murdered and left to die in an alley. As far as I know, he did not do drugs, so I doubt it was a drug deal. I will not speculate about the motives, as I don't want to diminish his spirit here. I have my thoughts and others have shared theirs with me, too.
Goodbye my friend. I am deeply saddened and will honestly miss your face and especially your smile at the table. i wish you well on your new journey.
The whole situation softly reminds me that I want to live my life in the sunlight of spirit. This life is often so fleeting. I don't want to live while not believing in myself or not working to make myself (and others) happier.
in remembrance of an artist who has left us way too soon. thank you for spending the time you did. i thoroughly enjoyed watching so much of your work and believe i am a better man because of it.
so i really did find james blunt's fist two singles captivating and i did listen to them often. and i did wonder what he would follow up those songs with. i am not sure he's found his stride yet, but i try not to judge others in that way any longer. i have to keep my own side of the street clean. believe me, i can't even do that very well.
anyway he has a new collection of songs released titled "all the lost souls". we used to call it an album, but i'm sure it's cd now, although i really listen to music online most of the time now and there is no real cd involved. i've listened to the first single from that collection a few times and i still haven't made up my mind. i listened to the entire "cd" a couple of times last night and i enjoyed it. i especially liked "i really want you" and "shine on". i know he has an easily identifiable voice that i find pleasant. and i also know he fought in iraq and came back home to britain to do what he loved. i honestly admire this. and he doesn't sound like everybody else to my ear.
you can read a recent interview about this very cd here:
and you can make up your own mind. i'm sure you will anyway :P
