Suicide Note of a HIV Patient

#22 cruel on not, my comments are stereotypical of broad spectrum of society. smiling at you intellectual comment, no that is left to people with superior intellects, not myself, far from it.

#16 Zina, You may be right, but regardless for me, who is truly innocent matters more. If person has serious illness ahd has lived blameless life in many respects - yes, who has no sin go raise first stone - well, if they get ill, it is time to feel for them, it is good time for displaying humanity. But if one as lived irresponsible life - not taking care of own and others diet, health, hygience, family matters, mental stability, education and state of mental health, finances, etc - well, blame assignation is natural human tendency. As society, collective, you cannot blame society for wanting to abstain from further harming itself by allowing unharmonious incongruous elements detrimental to collective social health the legitimacy to thrive. I don't know if I have expressed clearly I am short on time.

Very sad indeed!

What happened to the lady?

yes...sorry khurram

I meant "First my sympathies to Kamran"
with much respect,
thinking storm

Re #22
"First, my sympathies to Khurram ..."

I think you meant Kamran

First, my sympathies to Khurram for the loss of his friend. IT was truly sad to read this. I wish things could have gone differently. I wish he could have migrated to a country where he could persue treatment without persecution.

Secondly,

#21 Khaki flash

Unfortunately #16 would indeed like to have you stoned :(

Next time if you are walking around and a stone comes a-flying, do not hesitate, do not think....but RUN.

Run khaki run.

Unfortunately I have repented from espousing my beliefs on religion otherwise I would explain to you the calculus of why some consider it necessary to kill God's creation to show God how much they love God.

Ahmad sahib, the comments you found cruel were not Zina's, but of the intellectual below Zina.



with much respect,
thinking storm

Re: #16 Some years ago I was honoured to be able to work as a volunteer helping people with AIDS. Any apprehensions about such work had been dispelled by seeing so many of my own friends succumbing and eventually dying, often slowly and very painfully. But this further volunteering experience opened both my mind and my heart. Not once did I try to find out or even guess how the patient had acquired the virus. It was totally irrelevant and anyway, as a 'mere' volunteer, all medical records were out of bounds. Perhaps this kind of work would have a similar effect for you. It was invaluable. I only stopped doing it because seeing so much suffering was doing my own mental health no good, although I had the luxury of being able to retreat to my own home comforts for respite. But I still desperately feel, not only for those yet suffering but also for their close relatives/carers etc who have no choice but to continue their assistance. I know in only a very small way how taxing it can be to both body and mind. May they receive all the strength they require - even though the requirement is often superhuman.
I'm rather confused about a particular point you make. You say that I and all others of my ilk should be stoned, presumably to death, for being what we are. (I take it that you are informed enough to know that BEING homosexual is NOT a choice. A choice of refusing to live a lie, yes, I grant you that.) Yet you say that no one should have to resort to the option of suicide. Does that include me killing myself for whatever reason - or is it that you want the satisfaction of knowing that I am being executed by someone else? Just wondered.

Khaki

To reiterate for any one who may have misunderstood my comments.Many diseases have their primary cause in the abuse of our bodies. I believe every patient, no matter what their illness, no matter how they have developed it deserves to be treated professionally and other wise with the utmost respect and consideration. There is no differentiation in my eyes between an HIV sufferer and another ill person. They both need healing, both need to be supported and given the best care.

Re: # 17 Zina these are heartless comments. Such comments must have forced young man to go prostitutes first to sink his fear of peoples hatred to wards hin and then to his suicide. If you can not say good about gentleman that fine why say bad feelings of contempt. Mr. Christ said rightly hate sin but not sinner. I have no malice, have peace.

Re: # 16,
''If you slept with someone out of marriage and got infected, shame on you. NOT on society. You "play the game", learn to take the blame''

I do not see a problem if a couple (hetro,bisexual or gay) decides to opt for sex .Your comments shows the religious bigotry - and thoughts of a man/woman - of 16th century.

On your comments on stonning gays to death!!!!
it's so out-dated and dirty that it needs no-counter comment. Everyone has a right to do whatever they want to do .

It's pity that we have scums like you today !!!

Re: # 16
I understand your points, especially concerning the illness spreading to children and you are entitled to your own opinion. But in terms of health, in regards to life and death there should be absolutely NO BLAME culture. Whatever the condition, a patient is entitled to a respectful and dignified chance on surviving. What is the difference then between an alcoholic 30 year old man who has a busted liver, an overweight mother with diabetes and blocked up arteries needing heart transplant, a lung cancer smoker, a heroine addict on methadone and an Aids victim? Each is accountable for the disease manifesting through their past actions but should we sit and place blame? Should we look upon them with disgust and blame? Put salt in their wounds? Or focus on recovery? And prevention? That is the purpose of this write up. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases is not only an individuals morallity that is why our take also involves society and its response, and responsibilities.

Sorry to hear the chap committed suicide. No one, well or ill, should have to resort to that option.

However, that being said, I personally would not like to be in the vicinity if an HIV infected person, regardless of how they came about it. Gays should be stoned - but that's just me.

The really pitiful thing is these people go around giving it to their legitimate innocent spouses who end up having HIV infected BABIES. THAT is shameful. Children should not have to suffer for the sins of their parent(s). And also, a lot of these people sell/donate their blood, which if not properly tested, is passed on to unsuspecting victims in need of transfusions.

If you slept with someone out of marriage and got infected, shame on you. NOT on society. You "play the game", learn to take the blame.

Also see,

http://www.aliveandwell.org
http://www.virusmyth.net

Re #6 ejazharoon,

African leaders like Mbeki didn't come up with these arguments on their own. They have been paying attention to the dissident AIDS scientific community in the West.
AIDS in Africa is a completely different phenomenon than in the West. In Africa, malnutrition and poor hygiene make people vulnerable to repeated infections that destroys their immune system. HIV testing is very sloppy. Linking these deaths to HIV is more of an assumption than anything else. Mbeki is right in focusing on improving nutrition and hygiene (e.g. clean drinking water) rather than expensive retro-viral drugs.

Re: hamidm2
"hiv/aids is almost a chronic disease"

Of course, you mean that HIV can be controlled with drugs and the person never develops AIDS. Magic Johnson has never had AIDS, only HIV. Retroviral drugs don't cure or control AIDS - only the HIV level.
What 'AIDS dissident' scientists like Duesberg are saying is that people with HIV are no more likely to develop AIDS than people without HIV. Heavy use of hard drugs is a more reliable predictor of AIDS (i.e. the weakening of the immune system).
Most of the early deaths of non-drug users attributed to AIDS were actually caused by AZT. It is an extremely toxic drug that can kill. Magic Johnson himself recovered his health once he stopped using AZT.
Famous AIDS victims like Arthur Ashe, Kimberly Bergalis etc all died of AZT. Now that people have moved on to less toxic drugs, death rates have plummeted.

'let he without sin cast the first stone'
Ignorance still remains incurable it seems. People are very quick to pass shallow judgements that inflict greater suffering than physical illness. What is very disheartening is that the very people who are endowed with the responsibility to heal and nurture as part of a health care system, they are not capable of treating patients with absolute sensitivity and confidentiality. Instead of assisting in recovery and giving hope as they are meant to, destroy the spirit of a young boy by isolating him casting stones of contempt as though sinless. Educating the masses and providing the support to patients, families and relatives in coping with the disease is necessary, especially because this is a world wide problem.
In the slums of Africa, millions lie left to die with their bodies under attack, abandoned by the rest of humanity. For those who feel entitled in ostracising others based on their narrow thinking do not stop to think that the sick and the poor and the needy are a test on humanity, a test to awaken the love, compassion, hope and life within the human spirit. Alas failing... they do not realise they are the dirt of society, the rotten murderers.

Desperately tragic story. I myself have lost several friends over the years through AIDS. Some told me that if it got too bad for them they would also kill themselves before they deteriorated still further, but when it came to it none of them did. At least all of them had the support of their family, though in a few cases it was only tacit rather than overtly demonstrative. But in the particular case you tell it is the all-too frequent tale of a vulnerable and helpless person being denied the very support from the people who can most provide it. Shame on society i.e. all of us. May he now rest in peace.
Khaki

sad sad on all fronts!

after reading this i really felt disgusted by our society and by our attitudes as a human being towards the others...we as a society are too very prejudiced, extremely narrow minded, sometimes it seems as if we are a nation of idiot heartlesss individuals...

Re: # 4

chalta,

owining 150 starbucks franchises (actually he is the only franchisee), running movie theaters and a major non-profit organization has nothing to do with being 6' 9" and shooting hoops ...... it is all about character, attitude and support from those who claim to be 'friends and family' ......... his teammates hugged him on the court - sweat and all - and his fans cheered him on .... that's what made him what he is today ...... it is all about the human spirit which is very fragile, but which can overcome any adversity ... with the new drugs, hiv/aids is almost a chronic disease that can be controlled if there is the will to live and you don't have a-holes for 'family and friends '.........

p.s. i think his family and friends killed him, not hiv

Re: # 6

That's the same argument that certain African politicians have made, some of them even stopped importing retroviral drugs based on that belief. What do they care? Its ordinary people who die for lack of proper retroviral medication.

Has anyone heard of Peter Duesberg?

http://www.duesberg.com/

He makes a pretty persuasive scientific case that HIV is harmless and does not cause AIDS.

thanks to chowk - for publishing !!!
cheers!

Yes hamid, most AIDS victims are 6'9" tall, can play all five positions on the bball court and made the living at tossing no look passes to James worthy on fast breaks.

maybe fawad and, more importantly, his 'friends and family', should have heard magic johnson

..... earlier this year magic johnson was the keynot speaker at our annual sales conference - he charges over $75,000 for a one hour speech and it is well worth it! ...... the man was awe inspiring ..... diagnosed with hiv in 1991 he went on to play in the olympics and founded a business empire that empire which employs over 25,000 employees ...... he is also a philathrophist and runs the magic johnson foundation ......... inspite of being hiv positive the man has led a more meaningful life than most of us ...........

UN puts the number of infected Pakistanis at around 100,000, but that number are underreported due to unavailability of data from remote regions. Majority of HIV +ve are drug users in Karachi contracting the virus by sharing needles. There are only a handful of organizations (NACP the only state run) that are active in outreach and education about AIDS, a lot more needs to be done – primarily, AIDS awareness at a very early level (Middle and High School level) as well as at religious centers, such as Mosques, should be a venue to educate general public about this virus. Electronic media should take a more active and aggressive role in spreading the word.

Ali, when a young person is helpless and hopeless and the society shuns him like a used napkin, that tells a lot about that society. That society has no shame or honor! Sorry for your loss.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.