Dear visitors! Custom essay writing service CuteEssay.com offers for your attention free essay samples. You can use them as models for your own writings and other personal purposes. These samples are custom written. You can not copy and paste them, you can not give these essays as your own. All sample essays are copyright protected and are the property of CuteEssay.

This is a free essay sample about people infected with AIDS/HIV, reaction of other people to this fact. The paper narrates the reaction of a person to the fact the best friend of the narrator has AIDS.

The day I found out my best friend has AIDS

AIDS is an abbreviated form for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is like a plague of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. In most cases AIDS considered to be fatal disease, but sometimes people, which have it, live many years until the virus completely absorbs their organism. After this they can die from any trivial sickness like grippe or cold sore. I know about AIDS from my childhood – teachers from the elementary school showed colored posters and explained that AIDS is a very serious disease and people usually die from it. Later in secondary school I read about it in different newspapers and magazines, watched many TV programs, Internet articles. It was so easy to perceive that about one fourth population of Africa is infected by AIDS, that Ukraine is a leader in spreading of AIDS in the Commonwealth of Independent States (Post Soviet Union countries) and other facts about this syndrome, that Hollywood stars and other public persons endow millions of dollars for people infected with AIDS. It seemed to be so far away from me, my family, my friends and other people which surround me. Frankly saying, I wish it would be so forever. One fine day I found out that my best friend has AIDS. It was a hard blow to me – he always looked fine and there were not any symptoms of such serious disease on him. At the same moment I tried to calm down and think how I can help him.

The next several minutes seemed to be eternity. The thought that my best friend has AIDS just could not find room in my head. Immediately I remembered everything that I know about AIDS and built a logical order and decided that my best friend will die some time or other. I thought then what will be with our friendship? Will it be transformed or changed in any way? Because my conscience changed dramatically from that moment.

Later these thoughts never leaved me in peace and I decided to learn more about the AIDS. I searched the Web, turned over the pages of scientific magazines and tried to find a panacea. Of course my efforts gave no results except for increased knowledge about AIDS and unsuccessful efforts of world’s best scientists to cure it. Of course it gave rise to other thoughts and ideas. I tried to imagine how it is to leave and know that one day you will die because your organism will not be able to protect you from diseases. Moreover, nobody can help you and your death is just a matter of time. Your family and friends know that, they want to help you but do not know how. Those who know that you a person infected by HIV, but do not know a lot about AIDS and HIV, can avoid you and afraid that they can be infected. I think it is especially offensively and maybe painful when ignorant people afraid to communicate with you and it is especially gratefully when educated people show others that they are not afraid of you, that your disease does not make you an unwanted friend or colleague. I think that in the course of time people infected by HIV get accustomed to reaction of ignorant people and do not pay attention on it. But sometimes people begin to discriminate infected by AIDS and that is the worst thing that can happen for such people.

People with AIDS change their lives, views and contacts. Some begin to drink or use drugs – in other words to lead a fast life which also leads to fast death. Others search salvation in religion and philosophy. As for me I prefer the second choice, but who knows. From the point of philosophy people should not be afraid of death. Death is certain and by the highest standards we expect it through all our life. We have born one day just to die on another. But the point is that to die in an old age is better because there is already something beyond the back – children and grandchildren, successes and failures, achievements and whatever else.

When you infected by AIDS it is impermissible to have children, because they can be infected too and their lives will be deprived of any temporal rises and falls. It is better to not have sex in order to prevent spreading of the infection. Apparently such people live other lives than noninfected do. They feel how different people change their attitude to them depending on their knowledge about HIV.

But it does not make person useless or poor as some people consider.

When I turned all these thoughts in my mind I have understood how I can help my friend. The answer is very simple – I think that I should be myself in the first turn, our friendship should be the same or even stronger. Additionally I can discuss this problem with my friend and show him my personal attitude to this matter – that it makes no difference for me if he is infected by AIDS or not. I do not want to say that I do spit upon his disease. I can try to help my friend to find the purpose in his life and support him in anyway I can. In order to apprehend the death as a matter of course he should obtain something before (for example to help other people not to acquire HIV). Even when your life is short you must realize yourself in any possible way. Successful self-fulfillment in life and social utility will alleviate your crucifixion. If you were born then it is stipulated by some purposes. In any way people infected by HIV can and must be socially useful. If you are infected you should struggle against AIDS, HIV, cancer and other diseases because this battle is public. Everyone is affected by this war indeed and should make a contribution to stop the plague of the 21st century. People should understand that HIV infection is not the end; for some people HIV infection is just a beginning and in no circumstances not a cause to lose heart.

So after gaining such experience I have changed dramatically my life and views on many questions and issues – if before this accident I did not care about AIDS and other global problems, now I do care. I often discuss this problem with my friends and spread information about AIDS. I try to make other people care about AIDS and HIV, explain these problems are concerned with everyone and there is no insurance that can outweigh a disadvantages from global problems. And of course now I understand all the sufferings of people in Africa or any other part of the Earth concerned with diseases, hunger or poverty. Now all global problems do not seem to be far away – they are just in front of me and in front of other people which surround me but did not realize it yet. I understand that only with the joint efforts AIDS can be vanquished and when our society will not be divided into those who care and those who do not.

My friend is still alive and probably will not die within several years. I often think about his infection. He knows that and I believe that he will meet this event with dignity, pacification and content, because now he realizes himself and serves for our society. His death will be severe ordeal for his family, relatives and friends. But our friendship will not die that day or after, it will live forever.

I believe strongly that the battle with HIV and AIDS will be won, because the good always defeats the evil. In future people will not loose their relatives and next generations will not suffer from this plague.

Statistics:
pages: 5
words: 1,290