Rockin' The Red Pumps! (Well, Shirt in my case.)

Today is National Women/Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and close to 100 bloggers are "Rocking The Red Pump!" in support of this very important cause.

I am even sporting my red shirt today that I bought from www.representyourcurves.com 2 years ago in support of HIV/AIDS awareness.








Check the stats, good people:



Statistics used are from the Center for Disease Control's website. Although these stats are only taking the United States into account, globally, HIV/AIDS is no less of a problem, especially for women.

Key Snapshot of the U.S. Epidemic Today

* Number of new HIV infections, 2006: 56,300
* Number of people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million, including more than 468,000 with AIDS
* Number of AIDS deaths since beginning of epidemic: 583,298, including 14,561 in 2007
* Percent of people infected with HIV who don’t know it: 21%

HIV/AIDS & Women in the United States
------------------------------------------------
*There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. & almost 280,000 are women

*In 2006, there were 15,000 new HIV infections and 9,801 AIDS cases diagnosed among women

*There were 3,784 deaths among women with AIDS in 2006

*Among those who are HIV positive, 35% of women were tested for HIV late in their illness (diagnosed with AIDS within one year of testing positive)

*HIV is the 5th leading cause of death in women in the United States, ages 25-44

*High-risk heterosexual contact is the source of 80% of these newly diagnosed infections in women

*According to a CDC study of more than 19,500 patients with HIV in 10 US cities, women were slightly less likely than men to receive prescriptions for the most effective treatments for HIV infection

*Women with AIDS made up an increasing part of the epidemic. In 1992, women accounted for an estimated 14% of adults and adolescents living with AIDS in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. By the end of 2005, this proportion had grown to 23%

*From the beginning of the epidemic through 2005, almost 86,000 women have died of AIDS and AIDS-related complications.

*The largest number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses during recent years was for women aged 15–39

HIV/AIDS & Minority Women
-----------------------------------
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects minority women in the United States. According to the 2005 census, Black and Latina women represent 24% of all US women combined, but account for 82% of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005.

HIV is:

*the leading cause of death for black women (including African American women) aged 25–34 years.

*the 3rd leading cause of death for black women aged 35–44 years.

*the 4th leading cause of death for black women aged 45–54 years.

*the 4th leading cause of death for Latina women aged 35–44 years.

*The only diseases causing more deaths of women were cancer and heart disease

*The rate of AIDS diagnosis for black women was approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women

*In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%

These statistics were pulled from The Center for Disease Control's website and the Kaiser Family Foundation's Fact Sheets (which cited the CDC). Get more information about the effect of the epidemic from these sites.



We here at "Hey, You Asked!" encourage everyone to get tested, know your status and make the best choices you can when it comes to remaining HIV/AIDS free if you're HIV negative. And if you're positive, make the best choices to prevent spreading the virus.

In this and all things, I wish you light, love and clarity




~pbg

A Little One Loses A Friend

And so, She Asks:


As a woman of reason, I know when to defer to the wisdom of others.

My son's little friend and classmate died in a fire last night. I'm not really sure if I should try to open the conversation with him, let him bring it up or what. I'm not sure developmentally how he's perceives death. When my grandmother died in October, he had nightmares after my aunt dragged him up to the coffin while I was talking to family members. So I'm not really sure what to expect. He told his grandfather and uncle this afternoon that his friend went to Heaven. Maybe I'm worried for nothing....

I was just hoping to get some insight and advice from you, since early childhood is kinda your thing and all, and you're one really sharp, wise woman.

Thanks!

First off, I extend my deepest sympathies to your little boy on the loss of his friend. I'm sure he's having a hard time understanding why his buddy is gone. Hug him extra for me.

Death such a difficult subject to broach, especially when it comes to how to help our children deal with it. It's an inevitable part of life, a real but abstract concept to grasp even for adults. It's even harder for little ones who are still learning to distinguish between the real world and the imaginary ones they invent for themselves and what they see in movies and on TV. The task of helping them deal with the loss of a close friend or family member can be daunting.

I know personally how difficult it can be. My daughter's father was murdered when she was about 3 1/2 years old back in 1997. I had no idea how I was going to explain to her that he was gone. So I just told her that he was hurt really badly and the doctors couldn't help him so he had to go to heaven and be with Jesus. She asked would he come back and I told her "No, he won't. He has to stay where he can be healthy and free and happy without his body." My little genius baby saw that I was upset and held my hand and said "Mommy, it's OK. We'll see Nate (she refused to call him "Daddy" back then) when it's our turn to go to heaven when we get too old to be here" and that was that. She went on about her little business. Thank God we had taken the child to church a few times! As her mother, I made the decision not to take her to his funeral because the understanding that she had was enough to help me usher her through her loss in a healthy manner and I've never regretted that decision once. Over the years, her questions about him matured with her understanding of the world and I had to gauge my answers to what she already knew. Now that she's 15, there aren't as many questions about it, but there's still an open line for if she does want to know anything more or just talk about him and try to learn a bit about who he was.

I suggest that you have a conversation with your little boy about his friend, beginning not about the death but about their friendship. Talk about all the fun things that they did together and what made him a good friend. Talk about love. Talk about how it's OK to miss him and that memories will always keep him near, even though he can't see him anymore. Be honest about his friend being hurt and not able to live in his body anymore because of it. And listen to what your son has to say, because his level of understanding just may surprise you, as my daughter's did me. Formulate your answers to his questions based on who you know him to be and how much he understands. Respect his grieving process as long as it is healthy and if you have any doubts about that, always consult your pediatrician.

I also checked out this website, Supportingkids.com, and it's very resourceful in the area of helping children of all ages deal with death and dying. Take a look and see if it can offer you any support in helping your son cope with the sudden loss of his friend.


In this and all things, I wish you love, light and clarity.





~pbg