page 11

Healthwise

By P. HENDERSON

On October 30, 1985, I sat in a hospital room preparing myself for the death of my best friend, Michael, who was dying of an AIDS-related infection. While I was afraid, my fear was not of catching AIDS from my friend but rather of death, and the knowledge that I was saying good-by to someone that had shared so much of my

life with someone that "I loved and respected as a person and as a gay brother.

As I sat in Michael's hospital room, alone with Michael (who was drifting in and out of consciousness and asleep most of the time), my thoughts went back to hap pier, more pleasant times. I could remember when Michael was a fun-loving, outgoing, energetic, and adventurous person with social skills that I envied.

Gay Peoples Chronicle

The Human Side of AIDS

was hospitalized. Once hospitalized, he was diagnosed within 48 hours.

While the diagnosis was a shock, it was not as though we

did not know about the

We need to have love, compassion, empathy and genuine concern for our friends and relatives with AIDS.

disease. We had educated ourselves about AIDS through reading articles in the New York Native, which we felt were the most informative and least prejudiced. We had decided to follow the guidelines on safe sex practices. We knew the warning signs, but we did not want to be-

I thought about all of the people that he had introduced to me over the years as his "friends." My fear changed to anger as I thought about all of those "friends," wondering where they were this evening, wondering where they had been these past few months as Michael's health and emotional stability deteriora-lieve ted.

October 1984 will forever remain an unforgettable date for me, for it was at that time that Michael was diagnosed as having Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a parasitic infection of the lunos. This diagnosis ended a summer filled with fatigue, breathing difficulties, and trips to various doctors. It was not until Michael had gotten to the point that he could barely breathe that he

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the disease would affect anyone we knew. I still find it hard to believe that he had AIDS.

Shortly after Michael was released from the hospital, friends and family members made promises to visit, to help with chores, and assist him as needed. To this day, not one of those promises has been fulfilled. While these services would have been helpful, Michael would have benefited most from a simple visit.

As his health deteriorated and family and friends became more distant, he became extremely depressed. He often said that he wanted to die because he felt so isolated and he knew that his health would only get worse. I like to think that he would have had the courage to fight for his life, if he had had more support from his friends and family.

Michael died alone in his hospital room in the early morning hours of October 31, 1985. I like to believe that his pain, suffering, and disappointments ended at that time. While I grieved for his death, I also felt some relief for him.

His death underscored the seriousness of AIDS for me. I will always admire and respect the doctors, nurses, and medical staff that treated Michael. They were professional, they were courteous, and they did not give any appearance of being afraid to treat him. In a word, they were educated. I learned a lot from them.

We all need to educate ourselves on the issue of AIDS. We need to stop letting our fears dictate to us how we are going to respond to our friends in need. We need to have love, compassion, empathy, and genuine concern for our friends and relatives with AIDS. We need to acknowledge that it could happen to any of us. We need to trust our medical officials as they constantly tell us that AIDS is not transmitted through casual contact. We need to grow up and take some responsibility for the quality of our lives and of our loved ones.

Lesbian Lives Conference

From Page 7

ences and perceptions, Charlotte shared travel stories and told of lesbian activism at Nairobi, and a woman from the Dominican Republic told us

of the first wave of an "out" lesbian community now developing in her country. We had scrapped the "agenda' business and delved into the heart of the issue at hand and into each others' hearts. Saturday had been spent in an aura of "removed professionalism. Sunday morning gave me the opportunity to interact with other lesbians at the Conference and, for this one workshop, my trip was worthwhile.

#

When I walked into the last workshop I chose, Lesbians in Other Movements (a bizarre phrase...), there were two of the three women with whom I had eaten lunch the day before. The three of us were the only dykes to show up at this workshop. I assume that all the lesbians in Other Movements were too busy being activists to at-

tend this conservative Conference! Here, there was finally the opportunity to talk about lesbians in the Peace Movement, lesbians involved in Central American struggles, etc. Where was everybody? The facilitator (who was not given the opportunity to facilitate us three anarchists) kept telling us that techniques which do not necessarily work within the American legal system are ultimately ineffective. Interestingly, the rest of us shared the opinion that radicalesbian activity, such as direct action against the patriarchy and developing nonpatriarchal modes of living, is at the revolutionary edge of feminist change.

The Conference ended with a plenary session, during which participants voiced both their appreciation for the existence of and their dissatisfactions with the Conference. Although it was an ambitious (yet naive) attempt on the part of the

January 1986

U of Akron AIDS Conference

The University of Akron is hosting a Conference on AIDS and American Society on Saturday, February 8. Held at Gardner Student Center, the Conference runs from 9a.m. to 4 p.m.

The theme of the Conference is examining the nature of the medical and social challenges the current AIDS epidemic is presenting American society, and to examine how this society can best respond to them.

Speakers include Dr. Glenn Kelper, D.D.S., Akron; Dr. John Carey, University Hospitals, Cleveland; Buck Harris, Ohio Department of Health, Columbus; Dr. C. William Keck, Director, Akron Department of Public Health; Denise Kresevic, R.N. M.S.N. University Hospitals, Cleveland; Rev. Sue Looft, North Springfield Presbyterian Church, Akronj Vivienne Mason, R.N., Summit County Red Cross; and Brian Williams, Akron Public Schools. An AIDS patient will also speak.

Dr. Walter Sheppe, University of Akron Environmental Health Program, is Conference Coordinator.

Sponsors of the Conference connected with the University of Akron are the College of Nursing, Environmental Health Program, Gay-Lesbian Task Force, and Student Health Services.

Other sponsors include the Akron Catholic Commission, Akron Department of Public Health, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Summit County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and Trustees of the Akron Area Association of Churches.

Funded by the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences and by the Office of Student Services, University of Akron, the Conference is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in all University lots.

Task Force to organize such an undertaking, the boundaries of the Conference as it was advertised were far broader than what was actually available. The Task Force is primarily concerned with legislation at the Federal level and this perspective was far too apparent for my tastes in every aspect of the weekend. Obviously, the Task Force does wonderful work in this area. But they have yet to realize the infinitely valuable work lesbians are accomplishing in other political arenas. believe that the organization must recognize its perspective and its limitations more clearly before attempting another nationwide conference. Meanwhile, the agenda set was clearly a white, middle-class American agenda for white, middleclass American lesbians who do not challenge themselves to see beyond their white, middle-class American lives. This agenda, for me, is no agenda at all.