Let's eradicate AIDS!

For a long time now, I have wanted to end the AIDS pandemic, Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused by the HIV virus, human immunodeficiency virus, which has killed 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. It’s estimated that 33 million people live with the disease worldwide.

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t daydream about ending disease, not just AIDS, although that’s my favorite to end, but all of them. Do I know how to eradicate aids? No, but in my head, I’m brilliant and can do anything. In real life, though, I’m not so brilliant. I get nervous, which brings me to Valentine’s Day, 2009 and going to Napa, California.

I have always been what you would call a cautious traveler. And, as time goes by, I have become even more apprehensive about traveling. Maybe it’s due to 9/11, but I have become somewhat of a fearful traveler. I really think it has more to do with having children, because now I just want to stay home and protect them from the world. Not just my children, but all children, which is probably the reason why I love to daydream.

This is what happens, though, on all of our trips …I somehow ruin it with feeling guilty about leaving our four kids with my parents to watch. See, I can’t wait to get out of Dodge and then I get on the plane and I can’t wait to get home to my babies. One year, on our trip to Hawaii, I cried the entire flight over the Pacific. Yeah, I’m a joy to travel with!

Daydreaming is my ticket to ride. I can escape the moment and dream of a different world, one without disease. Have you ever done that? Take a moment and daydream about the world and what it would feel like if disease were eradicated?

Now, come back from daydreaming and let’s go to Napa for Valentine’s Day. That’s what my husband proposed several weeks ago. I was very excited by the notion of getting away and seeing something new. I love to eat and hangout with Charlie. I knew it was going to be a lot of fun.

So this time, I promise myself, that I’m not going to ruin the trip. I’m going to throw caution to the wind. I’m going to live in the moment and love my husband without the guilt of leaving our kids behind.

Guess what? I gained 7 pounds in four days. We ate our way through Napa! We went to a place called Redd and then another spot called Auberge du Soleil. We laughed and then we ate some more cheese and desserts. It was lovely. It reminded me of Italy where I gained 30 pounds in 5 weeks. When I got off the plane, my own dad didn’t even recognize me. I threw caution to the wind and enjoyed myself.

So, what does all of this have to do with AIDS? We get so busy living our everyday lives that we soon forget to see the bigger picture. Guilt or some other crazy emotion settles in and we become stuck in our own routines. We become fearful and don’t believe that we can eradicate a pandemic like AIDS.

In fact, when was the last time you read about AIDS and what it does to a family? Have you looked at the pictures of devastation? I would guess that it has been awhile because you have your own problems to tackle right now. Perhaps you might even say that the world could use a few less people to take care of …it’s hard enough just taking care of my family let alone 33 million sick people.

Maybe it was the rows of vines all perfectly lined out that got me thinking. The farmers of Napa have wine making down to a science. We went to several wineries and each one had their own way of making wine … all very elaborate, scientific and mathematical in nature. They are concerned about the environment and keeping their vines healthy. They want to make the best product possible. They talk about what food to pair their wine with and, through this whole process, they instill within you to live better.

Does that make sense? They are farmers, but it’s more than farming. There is a beauty to Napa that makes you want to be more from within. We visited Joseph Phelps, Pride Mountain, Barnett, Saddleback, Rudd, Groth, Silver Oak, and Hall Rutherford. Somewhere along the way, I could feel my confidence grow as I saw what they made of their land …the houses they made and the caves they used to store their wine. I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but I do know that I left thinking that it’s time to eradicate AIDS. If we can bring such beauty and perfection to something as simple as wine ...we can eradicate AIDS.

So, how are we going to do it? Do you see the word WE? We can do it!

Did you know that there is a mathematical model to eradicate AIDS?
This is what I found in my research from R and D magazine:

Based on mathematical models performed by scientists at the World Health Organization, once implemented, a new strategy could reduce HIV cases by 95% within 10 years and reduce the prevalence of HIV to less than 1% within 50 years. This strategy involves testing everyone 15 years and older for HIV every year and starting people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately after they are diagnosed HIV+. This means not waiting until their immune systems are depressed, which is the current line of therapy. The cost of implementing such a strategy will be high, but researchers note that by 2032 its cost will be less than that of conventional treatment strategies.

While there are obvious obstacles to implementing this plan, such as persuading people to be tested each year and convincing those HIV+ patients with no symptoms to start an ART regimen, the results of this study are compelling. While HIV is now a manageable condition for many, this new approach combined with prevention strategies could potentially eradicate HIV and AIDS, as we know it.

So how much would it cost to implement this program? I’m still trying to find out. I’m also trying to find a company that would accept donations to make this happen.

Here’s the WE part. WE could all donate a dollar and end this disease!

Would you be interested in eradicating AIDS with me? Do you want to throw caution to the wind and become a part of something much bigger?

Did you know that each year over 1 billion wine bottles are made? What if we set up a program to voluntarily donate a dollar each time we buy a bottle of wine? I wonder whom I would talk to about that …

I think it’s a good thing to get out of our element and wake up our senses. There is an amazing world out there for our children to see … all of our children.