Speaker Encourages Students to Get Smart on AIDS

by Kim Kelley

Des Moines, Iowa (March 20, 1997)--Speaking in front of a small audience Wednesday night in the lobby of Jewett hall, Frank Viya, a member of the AIDS Project of Central Iowa, attempted to educate Drake students about the importance of knowing about HIV and AIDS.

"Getting smart about HIV is very, very, very important, especially now in college," Viya said, after revealing the fact that the group that has the most growth in number of AIDS cases is young women, closely followed by teen-agers.

"I see 19-year-olds who have had the disease for three to four years," Viya said.

After dispelling numerous myths about HIV and ways to get infected with the disease, Viya concluded, "HIV is a hard infection to get if you take care of yourself." Identified only as "Kelly," the man sitting next to Viya learned he had full-blown AIDS nearly four years ago. Kelly said he believed he contracted the virus through IV drug use and said that contracting HIV generally comes about from "intelligent people making bad choices....I was infected because I was ignorant. I didn't know it was out there."

After coming to grips with his infection, Kelly began speaking to audiences about his personal experience with AIDS, once even bringing in his 13-year-old son to speak because, as Kelly said, "Even though they're not infected by it, my family is affected by it."

Knowing that the average life span for a person with full-blown AIDS is two years, Kelly, who has had full-blown AIDS for nearly four years, is trying to stay healthy, taking nearly $1,300 worth of medications every month. A mere bout with influenzanearly claimed his life last year due to his weakened immune system.

Together, Viya and Kelly ended the lecture by emphasizing the idea that being protected and being informed are the only ways for students to guard themselves from HIV. They also offered information about volunteering at the AIDS Project of Central Iowa, which is a group that works to support people living with HIV. Besides managing various cases and offering counseling, the group also sponsors a buddy program to pair up a person of support with an HIV-positive person.

"I believe it is essential for Drake students to learn more about this disease, which is why we called the AIDS Project of Central Iowa and invited them out here to speak," said Emily Dickow (P3), president of Jewett, who helped to sponsor the lecture.

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