At this morning's HIV/AIDS clinical management workshop - the urgency of the effort to fight HIV was driven home by Errol Fairweather - a person living with AIDS.
Fairweather stressed the need for a unified, non-prejudiced effort to confront the disease.
Errol Fairweather, Living with AIDS
"We know that this disease has no color, race, it is there for everyone if you are not careful."
"When I found out I was HIV, a lot of things happened, my world stopped and I went into denial which made it worse. I started doing a lot things I had gave up already. I had settled down and was ready to start a family. But my world stopped and things started getting worse. Then I developed full blown AIDS."
"There is hope, there is something that can be done and I can remember when the change came around when I decided that I wanted to live and realized I can live with this thing. That is when I met Dr. Arriaga in February of last year and he gave me hope - the hope I needed to make that change in my life. I had to do the right thing, watch what I eat, watch what I put in my mouth. I say in this fight the care of a good physician is important and the person following the physician is also important."
"It is not a hopeless situation, there is something that can be done because if I can make that change and the medication can help me, well I will do what I can within this society to speak to whoever I can to encourage them to get tested to prevent them from spreading this sickness."
"I have been through everything, the diarrhea, the sores, I have been through every stage and my parents never turned their backs on me - I congratulate them and so we need good physicians, counselors, and family support and we can make a difference. Whatever area I can help I am not afraid to stand up and say I have AIDS."
Fairweather was diagnosed with HIV in 2000.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited for Internet by Keith Swift