Meeting Bob Skinner

I thought it was really great to hear Bob Skinner's presentation. I do not, to my knowledge, know anyone who has AIDS, so it was interesting to hear about the disease from someone who was living with it. It was also a great opportunity for us to ask questions, and Bob was very open and willing to share with the class anything we wanted to know. I appreciated his honesty.
I think the biggest thing I learned from Bob about living with an AIDS diagnosis was about the medications and side effects of said medications. We have all heard of the cocktails of pills that many AIDS patients take, but I guess I didn't realize there were so many different medications and combinations. I also had never seen or heard of any side effects of those medications, although it is not surprising. Some of the side effects seemed really awful, which is too bad. Not only is the patient diagnosed with a very stigmatized, incurable disease, but the side effects of the drugs he or she can take could make the treatment not an option for some people. The dilema the patient must face is: do I treat and manage the disease which will eventually lead to my death and suffer the painful and ugly side effects of the treatment, or live without drugs or their side effects, and come to my end sooner? I can see why this would be a problem for people diagnosed with AIDS.
I think Bob's experience with AIDS is both similar and different to many people around the world. I think it is similar in that most people feel the stigma from society pushing down on them, and the fear of being sick and eventually dying. I think his experience is different from many, many people's because he can actually afford the medication and has been able to use his experience as an education tool.
I can't remember for sure, but I thought Bob said the most common transmission route for HIV/AIDS in rural areas is through heterosexual encounters. It is probably hard to talk about HIV/AIDS in a rural setting because it is most likely more conservative and less open-minded about the issue, as opposed to a large city. People may assume the virus is just a "gay man's" disease, and therefore do not see themselves at risk. I think prevention in rural areas is difficult because in smaller towns you are more likely to know your neighbor or engage in or be a part of gossip. People may not want to talk about HIV/AIDS or get tested for it because they are close with many members of the community and don't want to face the stigma of anything concerning the disease.
Having Bob come to class really was a great opportunity for learning about the technicalities and first-hand experiences of AIDS. It was also nice to be able to put a real human face with the disease... like I said earlier, I don't know anyone with HIV/AIDS (that I know of) so it is not as personal or close to home for me. Seeing Bob, in class, in person, made the disease more personal. I really enjoyed hearing what he had to say.