“What do you want to be remembered for?”
“Kindness.”

So answered wacky, over the top comedienne Phyllis Diller to interviewer Jian Ghomeshi earlier this week on CBC radio. I came in late on the broadcast, but I caught that gem at the end, simply and gently stated.

I first saw Phyllis Diller when I was a kid- her wild hair, long cigarette holder, and her raucous laughter that was often at herself. That vivid persona has stuck with me. When I heard her say she wants to be remembered for kindness, it was a lovely comment on what matters.

BC Persons with AIDS Society’s upcoming AccolAIDS is more than a comment on what matters, it’s an awards evening that honours volunteers, paid staff, visionaries, activists and consistent supportive voices who work on behalf of people living with HIV.

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Hello Everyone!

My name is Jessica Wadsworth and I am very pleased to join the team here at Positive Women’s Network. My official title is Casual Resource Coordinator, which means that I’ll be working intermittently at the PWN office, assisting with social media communications, writing for PWN’s quarterly publications and finding ways to get all of the wonderful resources available here out to all of you. I’m really looking forward to getting to know all of you – or your avatars as the case may be.

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Just back from a conference in Montreal, I’m a little tired, sweetly full of things to follow up on, and amused by the fact that because of the damp, it feels colder here than it did “back East.” The Canadian AIDS Society Leading Together 2010 conference attracted people from all across the country to share knowledge, network and band together to discuss the challenges faced by PHAs.

How to grab the energy of what happened? The great passion with which people address the homophobia, the serophobia, sexism, discrimination and even the glorious advances in treatment that spell better, longer lives for PHAs was revealed in posters, workshops, plenaries, and displays.

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Two studies crossed my desk recently – okay, actually about a million studies crossed my desk – but these two had to do with pregnancy and HIV.  What do you want first, good news or bad?  The first study (which you can read about here), found that 57% of HIV positive women in Ontario not only wish, but intend to become pregnant.  This is good news, because it means that these women are getting the message that they can become mothers and deliver healthy babies, despite living with HIV.  The “bad news” study is one from Thailand.  Of 148 HIV positive women surveyed, 59% had been told by healthcare workers that they could not have a baby.  Twenty percent were denied antiretroviral therapy until they began taking birth control, and nine women were forced to end their pregnancies.

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