My name is Jaquayla Renee. I am 15 years old and I am a Sophomore in high school. I am currently involved in a program known as Project H.E.A.R.T. It is a program that informs people of HIV and AIDs. It not only informs you of the negative effects of HIV/AIDs but acknowledges the positive. I know it sounds weird, but it's true. Being HIV or AIDS positive can have a positive effect on your life. I am not saying it is a good thing to have the diseases, however, I am saying that if you do have them, do not think about the negative, focus on how to make it into a positive. You can spread awareness. Use your situation to teach others. On July 11th 2013, I sat in on a presentation by a speaker named Terry during the Project H.E.A.R.T. program. He seemed as healthy and normal as you and me. He revealed to us that he was HIV positive. This presentation not only informed me of what HIV was but what it was about and how it can change your life.

He came in and changed my whole entire view on people with HIV or AIDs. I had once thought of a person with HIV/AIDs as a very sick person who had been involved in a lot of risky situations. I thought of them as people who had done a lot of wrong things. I thought they were dangerous to me. I realized that I may be more of a danger to them than they are to me. You see, when someone becomes HIV positive, their immune system is affected. Their immune system becomes weak and they become very vulnerable to simple sicknesses such as a cold. Mr. Terry said he was very cautious of this because if I were to have a simple cold, he could easily catch it and he would become infected with pneumonia. He could possibly get sick and die from the simple cold I gave him. That alone is only one negative effect of becoming HIV positive or contracting AIDs. Mr. Terry also showed how some people can go downhill but still make the best of the situation. He said that at one point in his life he thought about suicide. He no longer cared about his life. He did not care if he died or went to jail.

He then turned his life around. He accepted what he had and made the best of it. He did the best he could. He saw the doctor and began taking care of himself. That showed me, and gave me the inspiration to think that no matter what goes on in life, you can always overcome it. He said "I don't let it control me, I control it. It doesn't live in me, it lives with me". He talked about how people should go get tested. He stressed the importance of being tested. He shared that when he got tested, he never planned to. He was just there with a friend. He was not even really aware of what HIV was at the time. When he found out, he could not believe it. He was shocked but he was still very little informed about it. He also mentioned how when he was diagnosed, HIV was death sentence. Now we have developed ways for people to live well into their 70s. They can now live a full life! By looking at him, I would never have guessed he was HIV positive. That just shows how important it is to get tested and not to rely on someone's appearance. He said he had family and friends who were still there for him when they found out. He did not lose friends. He was lucky, however there are some people out there who do get judged.

There is someone out there who is HIV positive or has contracted AIDs and is being judged. This is only because of the ignorance on this subject. People do not make it a priority to learn about these diseases. They hear myths about it and feel that if they come in contact with anything aa HIV positive person or someone who has contracted AIDs has touched, that they are at risk. Someone out there is losing a friend. Someone out there is losing a family. Someone out there is hurt mentally or physically because of this disease. Someone is letting this disease control them. I believe that if people were more informed of HIV/AIDs, they would not be so quick to judge. People with HIV/AIDs live full lives and get married and have children just like you and me. They are no different. Did you know that you cannot contract HIV/AIDs by kissing someone? Did you know you cannot contract HIV/AIDs from hugging, shaking hands, or touching an infected person? You can only contract them through four bodily fluids.

You see, there are many myths going around about these diseases but people do not know how to tell the myths from the facts. Not only adults, but also teenagers, are involved in risky behaviors. This is because they lack knowledge about the diseases and how to contract them. They do not feel that they are in danger. They have the mindset that a lot of people probably once had. You know "that will never happen to me" attitude. That is the attitude that got most people to be HIV positive and to contract AIDs. The society we live in today praises sexual activity. Magazines displaying thin models in their bras. Those models do not really look like that. Media exaggerates and stretches the truth. Media lack the display of the consequences that behavior in society today cause. Those are the important things. They never mention the protection. They never speak about how unprotected sex and drug use lead to very negative consequences. We live in a society where media praises negative behaviors and tears down those who try to spread awareness and are very positive. When will enough be enough?

My grandmother worked at Presbyterian hospital years ago in the cleaning department. She basically cleaned patients' rooms all day. A patient in the hospital contracted AIDs. Nurses, housekeepers, and doctors spread rumors around the hospital about the patient and how it was dangerous to go in the patients room. My grandmother thought this was rude so she got a pair of gloves on and went in the room and cleaned it and treated the patient with the same respect that any other patient received. You see, because of the lack of education on the topic, people ignorantly spread rumors. They avoided a patient all because of myths that our society allow to get around. Some people feel only gay people can get the disease. Some people feel only a certain race gets the disease. The lack of education in our communities is the problem. When will enough be enough?