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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 2005)
B lack H istory M PageAIO onth February 9. 2005 Taking Contr con tin u ed E d w a r d s s a id HIV and AIDS tund- tng is im portant in th is c o u n try an d sh e b e lie v e s th e fro m E ront sick. I'm in pain ... but I d o n 't let it stop m e,” Edw ards said. Through her disease. E dw ard’s outlook on her future has changed. governm ent w ill slow ly com e to "I d o n ’t ever really set long-term realize that m ore and more. goals. I alw ays work as though “I think so m any people think they’re short-term goals. My big that it c a n ’t happen to them and it gest goal is to start a non-profit for w o n ’t, esp ec ially if fin an cially women and children w ho are af th ey ’re in a h igher class,” she said. fected. Four m onths after 1 started “ It could happen to the president, going to an agency, they shut down. it could happen to his daughter. Because H1V has al w ay s been called M oney is being cut but the way the a gay m an’s disease, that’s who disease has infected the country, they cater to. It's hard to netw ork they ’re going to have to give m oney / encourage people to get tested. I went sick fo r about six months before I knew what was wrong with me. - Cherrell Edwards on living with HIV with people when you can barely pick a woman out o f the crow d.” E dw ards w as o n ly re c e n tly added onto the HIV Stops W ith Me Cam paign as a w om an because the idea was geared initially toward gay men. However, it’s becom e more apparent that this epidem ic is af flicting everyone. A mistaken blood transfusion, forced sexual activity, or being bom with HIV can mean life or death, regardless o f race or sex. because they w o n ’t be able stop it if they d o n ’t prevent it. It’s going to hit people so hard that th e y ’re go ing to have to w ake up an d start taking charge. Som etim es you have to suffer to overcom e som ething and I think th a t’s w hat it’s going to have to take for o u r co u n try .” H IV A llian c e.o rg d e fin e s the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, as som ething that attacks the im m une system that usually fights infection. HIV kills and dam ages cells that help the body fight infec tion and certain cancers. A fter the im m une system breaks dow n, A c q uired Im m une D eficiency S y n drom e, or A ID S, m arks the m ost advanced stages o f an HIV infec tion. W hile unprotected sex is the most com m on w ay that H IV is spread, oth er w ays are by sharing drugs, needles or syringes or having sex with som eone w ho has not be tested fo r th e d is e a s e . R e se a rc h h as proven that you can n o t get the virus through saliva, kissing, sh ar ing food utensils o r o th er casual contact. H IV is found only in four fluids; blood (including m enstrual blood), sem en, vaginal fluids and breast milk. A ccording to A v ert.o rg, there w ere 2,586 people living in O regon with HIV or AIDS. HIVAlliance.org states that only o n e-h alf to one- third o f people know th eir H IV sta tus, so the num bers becom e stag gering and grow higher if the d is ease is spread by som eone unknow ingly. M ore than h a lf o f new H IV infections in the U nited States are am ong youth betw een the ages o f 15 and 24. T hink taking a vitam in in the photo by K atherine K ovach h /T he P ortland O bserver Cherrell Edwards reads from a creative writing book required for class on the Portland Community College Sylvania Campus. m orning is difficult to rem em ber? T he average n um ber o f pills a per son living w ith H IV o r A ID S has to take a day is 30. Still, cuts to p re scription drug coverage have m ade is difficult for clients to get m ed ica tions for HIV. E dw ards said that so far, she h asn ’t taken any m edication for H IV , but she does for the chronic- pain she has from the disease. She also experiences a lot o f fatigue and lack o f energy. Rates in the black com m unity are increasing all the time, Edwards said. “ If people w ere secure with their sexuality and it w as em braced by th eir com m unity and fam ilies, then rates w ould decrease.” She belie ves that if people felt com fortable with their bodies and w hat they did with them , th e y ’d be com fortable with protecting them selves and being honest w ith their partners. Part o f the stigm a in the black com m unity is also tow ard gay black men. “W hen a black man is gay, it’s a lot m ore d ifficu lt,” she said. “It’s not em braced in o u r culture be cause o f religion. Black men already have to w ork hard to prove that they are as m uch o f a m an as a w hite m an is - they have to do so m uch to be respected. So w hen he says h e’s gay, I d o n ’t think h e ’s looked at as m uch as a man as he was before.” E d w a rd s sa id th e m o st im p o r ta n t th in g to re m e m b e r is to look a fte r y o u rs e lf first. “ I a lm o st w ish p e o p le co u ld see so m e o n e g o th ro u g h th a t sick s ta g e ,” E d w a rd s said . “ I t’s not so m e th in g th a t y o u c a n ’t p re v e n t. D o n ’t tr u s t a n y o n e b u t y o u rse lf. E v e ry o n e h as a secret th a t th e y d o n ’t p la n to tell a n y o n e. I f y o u ’re a lw a y s tru stin g y o u r s e lf y o u ’re n o t a llo w in g o th e r p e o p le to d ic ta te y o u r fu tu re. It d o e s n ’t ta k e h av in g fiv e o r 10 p a rtn e rs. It ta k e s o n e tim e w ith o n e p a rtn e r. It m ay be th a t o n e tim e w h en y o u d o n ’t h av e p ro te c te d sex th a t y o u can g et in f e c te d .” People at Wallowa Lake don't wear lederhosen. They don't yodel either - except during the yearly Alpenfest - but the jagged snow-covered peaks of the Wallowa Mountains and the clear glacial lake do bear a strong resemblance to the Swiss Alps. And it is one of the finest vacation spots in all of Oregon. Located just outside the town of Joseph, at the intersection of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the mouth of Hells Canyon, Wallowa Lake offers some of Oregon's finest hiking, camping and fishing. One of the best ways to enjoy it is at Wallowa Lake State Park. Surrounded by 9,000-foot peaks on three sides Wallowa Lake State Park is one of Oregon's most beautiful and best equipped state parks. There are campsites, cabins, and yurts as well as boat launches and a marina. Quiet, peaceful and rustic, Wallowa Lake State Park is a great place to get back to nature. A ll across the state, Lottery p ro fits help maintain state parks like Wallowa Lake and keep them open to the public. In fact, Lottery profits help support all 230 Oregon state parks. The ones you know and the ones you don't. — Over $ I ^3 million in Lottery profits has gone to Oregon state parks since ¡999- Lottery profits also support education, job creation and watershed enhancement projects across the state , . . -■ H i < Lottery games are based on cha« te o«d should be played fo r entertainment only. I
