Did you know?

Today is World AIDS day. I have been mulling over this post for a while, so I thought today might be the best day to post it. 
 

When you hear the letters “HIV”, what emotions do you feel? Is it fear, worry, uncertainty, anxiety? Or is it hope, love, and passion?

Please know that this post is not meant to be judgmental. Only months ago, we fell into the category of uncertain and fearful.

But now we know. We have had the privilege of learning about the spread of HIV and we are no longer fearful. We are now passionate.

Here in the States, we have access to medication that can control the HIV virus. Antiviral medication can make the level of HIV in the blood UNDETECTIBLE! In addition to this, HIV is an extremely fragile virus. It dies almost instantly when exposed to air.

Mark and I have spoken with infectious disease doctors, HIV educators, and pharmacists specializing in HIV medication.

They all had different facts to share, but the consensus was the same. Once the level of HIV in the blood becomes undetectable, the risk of transmission by blood is so close to zero it cannot be measured. We were even told that we are more likely to have a fatal car accident, get struck by lightning, or hit by a meteor than contact HIV though blood to blood exposure!

Children with HIV often get overlooked when it comes to adoption. We should not fear that HIV will be spread in a family setting. The facts against it are there. We have to fear the psychological effects due to the stigma attached to HIV.

So, is it fair? What do you think?

Special Needs

When you apply for adoption, there is this dreaded check list that you have to go through. You have to “pick” what preferences you are willing to consider and which ones you are not. There is everything from the age of a child to Downs syndrome, from poor vision to HIV. It is pretty brutal. It is such a hard process to determine what is right or not right for your family.

Mark and I have done this checklist. There are some items that we left unchecked, but when considering special needs, we want to be as open as possible.  

We are still uncertain if adopting a child with special needs is what God has for our family, but at this time we want to be open.

During our journey, we have done much thinking and praying about our child. We have done research and want to share something that we have been learning over the past couple of months, specifically related to HIV (taken from positivelyorphaned.com).

• HIV can NOT be spread through casual/household contact.

• HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other casual way.

• It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).

• HIV is considered a chronic but manageable disease. With treatment, people who are HIV+ can live without developing AIDS and can live long and full lives.

Some great website for information about HIV:

http://www.positivelyorphaned.com/

http://www.fromhivtohome.org/

http://www.projecthopeful.org/

As we continue our adoption journey, I will keep you updated about what we learn and where we are on this road. We would love prayers for wisdom and clarity as we seek what God has for our family.