Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1997)
4 Feature The Clackamas Print Wednesday February 12,1997 HIV-positive man lives one day at a time Karin Redston Co-Feature Editor • [Editor's note: The following is from an in-person interview. ] Jeff M., 34, lives in Clacka mas County, works two jobs driving a bus and is HIV posi tive. Jeff moved from California to Oregon two years ago and says he will never move back. To him, the best part about Or egon is the trees. He hopes to work full-time with his one bus driving job in about four months. In two or three years, he hopes to buy a house in the country. Jeff is now a speaker for Clackamas County AIDS Relief Effort (C.C.A.R.E.). He goes into schools to speak to students and staff about HIV and AIDS. He has been a speaker for a year and a half. When he speaks to children, Jeff talks about himself and how he was just like them while growing up. “I want to make a difference in HIV," Jeff stated. “If my going into schools and talking to kids will make one kid stop and think before taking a risk sexually, then Le accom plished my goal." He hopes that by meeting with school staffs, talking to communities and putting on presentations for students, the disease will become less alien and more humanized. partment. The doctors ran test after test, including Hepatitis and HIV, and all came up negative. Jeff had two bags of Saline intrave nously, because he became se verely dehydrated. The next stage.is asymptomatic HIV. This is the stage where little or no symptoms of AIDS are evi dent. After that comes symptomatic HIV. In this stage HIV starts to manifest with flu-like symptoms, weight loss and fatigue, to name a few. The last major stage is AIDS. Pneumonia and acute infections can set in. “Even a common cold can kill you,"he said. Although those are the major stages, there are several that HIV goes through. Jeff made clear he could not remember them all. Discrimination has not been an issue for Jeff. The only setback he has faced is developing a new relationship. He stressed the im portance of being honest with a potential partner about having the disease. Jeffs family has been extremely it_________ if my going into schools and talking to kids will make one kid stop and think before taking a risk sexually, then I've accomplished my goal. Jeff hopes to speak to eight schools this year. “We don't want children thinking it's okay to take risks and become infected," he said. The HIV virus happens in stages. The first stage is the ini tial contact with the virus which is transmitted into the blood by the exchange of bodily fluids which contain blood cells. This is usually by sexual relations or by sharing needles. The second stage is called seroconversion. This generally causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, nausea, headaches and fatigue, but could include other symptoms. “Mine lasted three weeks," Jeff said. “I was so sick that I couldn't smoke. I was a smoker for twelve years." He became so sick that he ended up at the local health de JeffM. 55 supportive. He and his mother are close. She has told him, if he became too ill, he could move back to California with her. Jeff's big gest problem now is fatigue. He says he has been tired ever since he went through the seroconversion. “It doesn't make any dif ference whether I get four hours or 12 hours [sleep], I feel the same way," he said. “I never really ever get over being tired." Jeff was diagnosed in August 1995 with the HIV virus, which he contracted through unsafe sex. His partner of three and a half years had given it to him. His long-range goals have changed to short term, and he takes each day as it comes. “I wanted to go back to school and get my teaching credentials," he said. “I've changed that. I'm focusing more on the here and now. I'm not panicking; I've just Photo by Joel Coreson Deanna EdIund was recently accepted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Student shines on campus Karin Redston Co-Feature Editor Deanna Edlund was a high school drop out who went back to school at Portland Community College to earn her GED; today, Certification. Edlund holds a 3.75 grade point average and has been awarded four scholarships. She woks for Safeway specialized skills that I can use that pertained to tins. But I was told‘Dee, you need to try’.” When Edlund enrolled in school and applied for her first scholarship, she was going through a break-up ofa six year relationship. She found herself homeless and living in a shel ing in her life until her son was bom. That wasn’t good enough for Edlund. as a data processor and is a full-time mother. Her first award was the Portland Swap Meet Endowment Scholarship. She then applied and was awarded a scholarship from the American Busi- ness Women’s Association Sunnyside Chapter. Her third award was-the Angelina and Pete She wanted more. Costanza Scholarship, which was to do the things I need to do to be a After her son was bom, Edlund enrolled in the college’s Life and Ca given to her by the Oregon Schol arship Commission. She has also been awarded the Ford Family Scholarship. “When I enrolled, I didn’t think I could earn any scholarships,” Edlund remarked. “I’m not an ath good mom and to be a good stu dent,” said Edlund. Edlund has recently been accepted to Phi Theta Kappa. Her philosophy on life is she is a full-time student at Clackamas and has been awarded four scholarships. She continued to work two or more jobs in order to keep things go reer Options Program, a nine-week course. When she completed the pro gram, she enrolled full-time at the col lege, planning to graduate this spring with an Associates degree in General Studies and a Parts Merchandising letic person, and I don’t have ter Edlund’s son is the number one priority in her life. School has be come her main focus. “I have made myself a priority simple. “Everything I do today is areflec- tion of what I become tomorrow,” Edlund concluded. Go ahead Go dancing on a school night Take a road trip to MM Gan Francisco this weekend Outstep- aerobicizeyour perky roommate for once Climb a mountain If you want to Western States Chiropractic College Community Clinics help you get back to good health: made some adjustments to my goals, and I feel very comfortable with that." For more information about the speakers bureau at C.C.A.R.E., call Lee Burleson at 653-8738. To make an appointment, please contact: King Road Clinic: 659-9449 4404 SE King Road
