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Personal Stories |
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**Name has been changed to protect clients privacy. |
| The Andersons Story |
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN
PAYING YOUR RENT
OR BUYING YOUR MEDICATIONS,
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
The Andersons are a family living with AIDS. Laura Anderson was infected with the AIDS virus when she received an emergency blood transfusion 14 years ago while living outside of the U.S. Due to the poor economic situation of the clinic where she was treated, needles were frequently re-used. Laura did not know that she had been infected, that she was pregnant, or that she had transmitted the virus to her husband. Their baby girl was born HIV positive.
Devastated, they returned to the U.S. and attempted to put the pieces of their lives back together. They connected with an HIV specialist for their healthcare needs, were able to find work and buy a home.
Four years ago both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson became ill and were hospitalized within months of each other. Both lost their jobs and health insurance. Without any source of monthly income and no social support the family was facing possible homelessness. Fortunately, their health care provider referred the Anderson family to SAAF.
Through their SAAF Case Manager, the Andersons were able to access many services that helped the family maintain stability including food, transportation, emergency health insurance coverage, and mortgage payments. This enabled the family to continue receiving essential medical services and maintain stable housing. As their health slowly improved, the family was referred to a family therapist to provide support to both parents and their daughter.
Today, Jim Anderson is healthy and employed full time. He is again able to provide food, transportation, medical coverage and shelter for his family. Laura continues to receive assistance with medication co-payments and the family continues to utilize family counseling. The assistance provided by SAAF ensured a safe stable environment for this family during a time of crisis. The Andersons believe that if it were not for services provided for families infected and affected by HIV, that they would have been facing a future without hope.
The Andersons
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Volunteer: Janet Munson |
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During my summer vacation of 1991 while participating in an Aquatone class, I met 2 gentlemen. One was obviously ill. Many of the women in the class didn't want to continue because they were afraid of “catching” AIDS from him. He invited a speaker from Tucson AIDS Project to educate us on ways of transmitting HIV. The gentleman died soon after and I became friends with the other man and asked what I could do to get involved. He suggested I participate in the AIDSWALK and start a prevention program at the junior high at which I taught. I followed his advice and for the next 5 years had a great program for 9th graders. I developed the program with a speaker from TAP. He, also, became a good friend.
In 1996 another teacher, who was on the AIDSWALK Steering Committee, suggested I organize a team with my coworkers and students, which I enthusiastically did for the next 5 years. He also suggested I take Volunteer Orientation, and become more involved in the new organization, SAAF. Before moving to Phoenix in 2000 he asked if I would be interested in being on the AIDSWALK Steering Committee. I am now in charge of all Walker Recruitment.
During these 16 years - I have met so many wonderful souls and have grown personally through my experiences with the staff of TAP and SAAF. These people have become friends and I feel I am part of a group that makes a difference in HIV prevention and in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. I am proud to say I am a volunteer with the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation.
Janet Munson
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| Client: Tony |
| When Tony came to SAAF he had full-blown AIDS and his health was declining. He had lost a significant amount of weight and lacked the skills to cook nutritional food. He struggled with weight due to the HIV medications. He was living off of empty-calorie junk food and sodium-filled microwave meals. He found that no matter what he did he could not gain weight.
Tony enrolled in the Food for Life Program and his goals were to gain weight and sustain his strength. He’s receiving 2 meals a day and a snack-pack of breakfast items. He now reports that his T-cells are up and he feels greater strength because he’s eating healthy food. He still struggles with weight gain due to the side effects of the medications, but getting Food for Life meals on a regular basis has helped. He now is seeing a nutritionist to help him make healthy choices.
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| Client: Natalie** |
“Natalie”**, a SAAF client had this to say:
About 4 or 5 months ago I was diagnosed with HIV. I had no hope in the world left at all. I felt helpless so I turned to drugs. My SAAF counselors have been a huge blessing from up above. Before I became a client at SAAF I was on the verge of losing my children. I gave up hope on everything. But my SAAF counselors have bent over backwards to help me fix that. They are the best thing that ever happened to me. I am no longer on drugs. I now have self control in my life. I truly from the bottom of my heart want to thank my counselors. If it wasn't for them believing in me and helping me to understand the meaning of life I would probably have lost my children and myself so I just want to thank you for everything. THANK YOU!!!!!
**Name has been changed to protect clients privacy.
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| Client: Harry** |
HIV disease caused “Harry”, a man in his late 50s, to become frail and fragile. He fell and broke his hand. Neurosurgery repaired the damage, but he had his hand in a cast for three months rendering him unable to cook, drive, or even leave his apartment. SAAF’s Food for Life Program provided Harry with three meals a day and helped him through this difficult time. Now, the cast is off and he has full use of his hand again. Harry called to let us know that he is doing fine, and added that his own cooking is not as good as the Food for Life meals and he misses them!
**Name has been changed to protect clients privacy.
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| Client: Chérwee Hughley |
Empowerment: A Gift of Necessity
By Chérwee Hughley
October 2000. An emotionally beaten and bankrupt man prepares to leave a place he thought he would never be in to begin with. He has been given directives to seek medical attention for his health and to contact the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF). His friends and family have abandoned him. Due to his legal problems, he has lost all material possessions, including his home. No one really cares about him; why should they?
Three weeks later this same man walks into the SAAF lobby. He is worried. Will he be judged? Will he be treated with respect? To his surprise, he is greeted with genuine caring and concern. The Peer Counseling Coordinator completes the initial intake and makes referrals. The process of rebuilding has begun. The man has been given the bricks, yet he still lacks the mortar of self esteem needed to create a strong foundation. You see, the troubles that led to substance abuse and eventually legal problems have not been addressed. The man has a lot of internal willpower to avoid dangerous patterns. However, as any of us who have tried to diet knows, willpower is not always enough.
Four months later, the man begins to indulge himself in the “recreational use” of a substance. In a matter of months, occasional use becomes abuse of an even stronger and more addictive substance. His health begins to fail. He is in a downward spiral. There is no hope of recovery. The man wants to just die and get it over with.
The man and his Case Manager have a face-to-face talk. He is referred for counseling to an outside agency and meets with SAAF’s in-house counselor to address his addictive behavior. The man perseveres. He accepts support from others. The community rallies around him. People believe in him even when he can't believe in himself.
April 2003. I am that man. Today, I awake every morning with a sense of purpose and an inner peace that I never thought I could have. I greet each day with exuberance that I don't recall ever having in the past. Today I speak out on issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. I volunteer with SAAF and its collaborative agency TIHAN (Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network). Last October I was hired by SAAF as the Volunteer Resource Program Assistant. For more than 20 years, I worked as an Insurance Adjuster/Auditor, and I hated every day that I had to go into the office. Today that is not true; I find myself excited about life and the things that I get to do.
They say this is empowerment, but I call it a gift – a gift that has been granted by the people who believed in me so that I too could begin to believe in myself. This is the gift of recovery that I cherish and hold most dear. It is a gift that I can share with others as I go about my day. It is a gift of love and joy that comes from within that I wish I could give to everyone. I do it through the SAAF Speaker’s Bureau; I do it as I walk around the venue of the Poz Café asking if things are all right. For me, it is done by just doing the next right thing, doing it with joy and taking it One Day At A Time. As a result, I stand here today, not a broken and beaten man but a man who is grateful for the gifts I have been given.
This story was written in 2003.
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| Client: Tom Fowler |
My Positive Experience at SAAF
Tom Fowler
My name is Tom, and I have been a client at SAAF since early 2002. I want to say that I was in denial that I had HIV for several years, as I was working full time and taking my cocktail therapy of drugs on a daily basis, never giving much thought about what I was living with. In September 2001, my doctor suggested that I take a medical leave from work to get away from the stress for a while, as I was also suffering from diabetes and neuropathy. I took my Doctor’s advice and went on medical leave, which was the best thing I ever did. My diabetes and neuropathy were suddenly under control, as well as my HIV.
Things were going well until I was notified by my employer that I was being terminated while on medical leave. Suddenly my life was in shambles; I had no income or insurance. This had to be the time in my life when I hit bottom. Not knowing what to do, a friend of mine suggested to me that I call SAAF. At first I said “No,” as I had always been very independent.
After thinking about it, I made an appointment and was graciously met by a Peer Counselor. I must say my life turned around in a very positive way that day. I was talking with someone who shared some of the same experiences that I had gone through. In about a week from the initial intake, I was contacted by a Case Manager, English Gama. (She is the Greatest!) I was provided with the moral support that I needed, as well the services and programs that SAAF had available.
I think back now, and I do not know what I would have done with my life if it had not been for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation. I see the Case Managers and the entire staff at SAAF working many hours making sure that all SAAF clients receive the attention and services that they need.
Realizing what a positive experience that SAAF made in my life, I knew I wanted to be a part of this GREAT organization. I am now a volunteer Peer Counselor at SAAF. I would like to encourage clients to consider being a volunteer. There are many different areas available as volunteers, and I can assure you that your experience as a volunteer will be a positive one.
This story was written in 2003; Tom is no longer a Peer Counselor.
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