World AIDS day

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People who have died of AIDS or are living with HIV were honoured today as part of World AIDS Day. Events were held all over the globe to create awareness like the one at Christ’s Church Cathedral on James Street North in Hamilton.

At an earlier event in Brantford today we spoke with a Brantford woman who believes education and awareness will not only save the lives of healthy people, but the lives of people who are already infected as well.

“I’m going to look at my HIV as my silent partner in crime. I control it, it doesn’t control me.” 48-year old Debbie Farrow of Brantford was raped 16 years ago. A year later she was diagnosed as HIV positive.

Debbie takes a cocktail of drugs daily to live. It’s important to Debbie that people come together on World AIDS day.

Thanks to medical advancements in 1996, AIDS is now manageable. “For the most part it changed it from a death sentence to a chronic longer term illness.” said Tim McClemont, Aids Networks Executive Director.

It’s expected that in 10 years, the pandemic will be over. But in the meantime Wilfred Laurier University students say youth need to educate themselves.

The AIDS network says about 25 000 Canadians have died of AIDS in this country. It’s also estimated that every 3 hours, a Canadian is infected with HIV.