A RAY OF HOPE

By Joseph Onduto — Kendu Bay CHIC Coordinator

Back in the days when clubs were called "discotheques" and secretaries took shorthand, Jane Atieno was a remarkably beautiful woman, and all who knew her when could attest to it. She was the local beauty queen, where she reigned supreme living her life in the "fast lane." Suitors came from far and wide to court her and she loved the attention. She did a little bit of "sampling" before she settled down with her late husband. "Maybe that's when I got infected," she says with a rueful smile.

The Jane we know now is a pale reflection of her former self. She got infected with the HIV virus and her condition has now developed into full-blown AIDS. She originally came to the center looking for help. She would talk openly (and continues to do so) about her past, and that is how we came to know her better. Jane belongs to a support group called "Power Positive," which is comprised of women who are living with the HIV virus and who are determined to carry on as normal a life as possible. Jane says that she is not afraid to talk about her past because someone who is living in the "fast lane" as she did might get some help from what she has to say. She also says that she thinks WiRED International is doing a great deal to educate the community on the dangers of HIV/AIDS and that she is getting a lot of help with coping with her situation from the center.

Jane is constantly at the center accessing information in order to have accurate information to pass along to the individuals she addresses. She states that this information has given her confidence; and, Jane has become a great advocate of CHIC activities. She says that her advice to the sexually-active youth is this: "Get care and get it fast. Danger is lurking at every corner. Don't get AIDS." Although AIDS is draining Jane of the physical beauty she once had, her inner beauty is a ray of hope to others.

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