Dec. 01, 2002 - 12:46 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

WITH US

From what little I have read, through the centuries most every ailment known to man has carried a stigma of one kind or another. And the zealots have most of the time made things worse than helping, as is the usual consequence.

Bev Sykes of Funny The World points out that today December 1 is World Aids Day. And it truly is a world problem. She has been quite active in helping any way she can those who have the dread disease.

In the early days of AIDS research, people who had AIDS were considered scum and shunned as homosexuals by everyday folk. It is true I guess that the incidence of the disease was higher in gays than most of the public, due to their lifestyle. People went around with the attitude that only gay folk could get AIDS.

Then came the discovery that, horrors, women could get AIDS and women could get AIDS from husbands who had strayed from the marital fold. Babies were being born having AIDS. And in many innocent ways people were contracting the disease.

In years past syphilis and gonnorhea were the diseases that were hidden, and spread as a consequence. Finally we grew up a bit, became somewhat adult and began to seek to aid those who might have those ills and encourage them to come out of hiding and be tested and treated if there was a possiblity they had it.

AIDS is in the world in increasing amounts, I can't quote the percentages offhand but the incidence of the disease in Africa is amazing but someday might be trifling compared to the folk here who are promiscous and having unprotected sex - and in one way or another passing it along to people who don't deserve to have that dread disease.

When I was a kid (I was one once) tuberculosis was for the most part a hidden ailment, yet means to help tuberculars was found. National Jewish Hospital here in Denver was founded as a tubercular hospital. JCRS on the western edge of Denver (Jewish Consumptive Relief Society) came into being to also help out. Many, many people who had tuberculosis came to Denver hoping that clean air and good care might help them and for many until the cure was found it was much better than the soot laden crowded tenements many of them came from. National Jewish Hospital has been at the forefront of the research and treatment of respiratory diseases ever since.

The widows mite that I put in to help is of course microscopic, but many of them can add up to a significant amount. But I can adjust my attitude from that taught in the society of my day. AIDS victims are people, real live folks and deserve to be recognized as such and to be accepted as part of our society and so I do.

I guess it might be said that AIDS is pandemic in the third world now and our society here in the US is at risk of suffering an AIDS epidemic. Of course there is the danger of the disease elements mutating rapidly as it exists now.

I am remembering the Christmas seals of my day, sold to help fight tuberculosis after society finally faced the fact that tuberculosis is contagious and could become an epidemic here also that victims could be people like you and I.

Want it or not, like it or not, despise those who have it or not, one thing is clear to me AIDS is WITH US . . . . . . . . . .

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