I live in West Philadelphia, and I am 68 years old. I
have worked at the Office of HIV Planning for at least fifteen years. I
enjoy reading and spending time with my children and grandchildren. They
bring such joy to my life.
I have come to know some very interesting, intelligent, and
special people while employed at this office – many of whom are no longer
walking on the earth but will always be remembered in spirit. I
came in contact with this organization while I was working at the campus
ministry at Temple University. The director of what was known as the
Philadelphia EMA HIV Commission needed someone that she thought was trustworthy
to keep track of billing, reimbursements of payments and other clerical duties,
and I was recommended for the position.
Needless to say I am still here, but the name has changed to the
Office of HIV Planning. We had a very small staff at the time, and
therefore I was responsible for taking minutes for various committees, as well
as taking care of meeting logistics, such as ordering food, giving out tokens, and
making telephone calls to make sure everyone knew the meeting dates and
times. As I became more and more involved with my role in
the process, I became closer and closer to the participants that I came in
contact with. My life will always be affected by the people I have
met through this office. They have been a blessing to me in
ways I cannot explain. Many of them only know me as Ms. Mary. I still pass out tokens at meetings and make
sure all reimbursements are processed in a timely manner, but I no longer take
minutes.
I also get to hear about what's going on in many of the lives of
those attending meetings on a more personal level. Often I hear
about doctors’ visits and ailments.
Sometimes people will just stop by my desk to ask for prayers for
something they or someone else may be going through. I think highly
of many of the people that continually give their lives to making a difference
in this epidemic - especially the Dale Grundys, the Diane McFaddens, the Rick
Britts, and others that worked endlessly and tirelessly to make changes to
policies they believed were not in the best interest of those living with
HIV/AIDS. They have gone on, but there are new workers to take their
place. Whenever I get up in the morning not wanting to get up to
come to work, I think about the challenges these friends and others experience
on a day to day basis. It gives me
strength.
If there was one policy that I would like to see implemented, it
would be partner notification. Having been married to a gay male
before the epidemic was as prevalent as it is today, I feel that I would have
wanted to know if he was positive. At least I would have had a
choice to make. However, he would not admit that he was gay, so why
would he have admitted he was positive. I am not passing judgments
on anyone, but feel that if one has to take responsibility for their actions,
they may become less likely to show precocious behavior when they are infected
with HIV/AIDS.
I would like for anyone that may have the opportunity read this
to know that I am sincere about my compassion for humanity, whether it is
someone with HIV/AIDS, a homeless person on the street, or someone else that
has come in contact with the challenges of today's society. I have also
had many, many challenges in my life. God
has been merciful to me and I feel blessed.
This post is part of our World AIDS Day blog series celebrating the Philadelphia-area HIV/AIDS community.
I was just sharing with someone my pleasure in being part of HIV Planning Committee. Although I wasn't able to attend all of the meetings, I supported them via internet. One person that I enjoyed speaking with was Ms. Mary. Her voice was mellow. Her pace was graceful. Her wisdom was moving.
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