sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

October 12, 2005


please send money
posted by soe 11:46 pm

My brother, Josh, has decided to do the 10K Los Angeles AIDS Walk this coming Sunday. To my knowledge, he’s never done this sort of thing before, and I’d like to help him reach his fundraising goal. If you’d like to join me in making a donation, please click here to visit his fundraising site.

Funds raised benefit the AIDS Project Los Angeles and 16 other southern California HIV/AIDS organizations.

HIV is no longer a “sexy” disease here in the U.S., where our AIDS death tolls have faded from the highs in the ’80s and pale in comparison to the ravages of the disease in places like South Africa and India.

But the problem does remain in the U.S., too — nearly a million Americans have contracted HIV since it was first diagnosed in 1981. The problem is a growing one for straight African-American women, in particular, and remains a problem for young urban men. AIDS is the leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44.

The good news, however, is that prevention, treatment, and survival rates are on the increase. Preventative vaccines are in the clinical trial stage. Among infants who are born to HIV+ mothers, those who are delivered by C section and who are given drugs from birth are likely to not develop the disease themselves. People who do contract the disease who receive drug cocktails (and who follow their treatment plan) can expect to live at least 10 years after their diagnoses. Drugs are in development that work better and with fewer side effects than ever before.

In other words, your money does actually help and does have results.

So even if you can’t (or don’t want to) support Josh this week, please consider supporting those raising funds in your local community throughout the year. I’m sure they and their coffers would appreciate it.

And if you can support Josh this week, I’d be grateful, as would he.

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flood and mildew
posted by soe 9:05 am

We returned home last night to an apartment that had suffered groundwater seepage and mildew that had grown. Lucky us…

I’ll post more later, but right now I have to go work on cleaning out my living room.

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