AIDS.

What will it be like if you know , you are HIV+? I have seen 3 or 4 HIV+ persons. All of them died soon. Let me try to recollect something about them.

One was a car driver. He was young, very active, rash driver, ignorant, vain, .. He had fun. He used to pick up fights for smallest of reasons. He had pride in his driving. He had a small son and a nagging wife. (Probably with good reasons) Then one fine day, everybody came to know that he had AIDS. Everybody started shunning him. He begged for money. He wanted money for alternate treatment. Not sure, if he spent money on his treatment or drinking. Very soon he died , leaving behind his wife and small kid. Don't know what happened to them. I hope, they didn't contract the disease from him.

Another one was a truck driver aged around 40-45. He was a nice , gentle person. Don't know how he contracted HIV. People look at me with disbelief for not choosing the obvious reason. Prostitution. Quite possible. It's just that , I never could imagine him that way.

Another one was a mechanical worker. I don't kno much about him. I assumed that, he must have done something stupid to be suffering like this. Sad thing is his wife and newly born son too suffer from this. But I was wrong. I was told that, he is a nice person. Then how? He used to donate blood regularly. He was into social service. And this is what society rewarded him with. The other day, doctors wanted me to be ready to give blood to my girl. But groups didn't match. When I asked them to search for alternate donors. They told me not to bother looking for outside family. They say, it's too big a risk to ignore the possibility of infected blood getting into system through transfusion. :(
As my knowledge goes, 90% of Indian population have no access to reasonable health care in the event of fatal affliction like this.
What is it to be like being a hostage in dangerous situation, being a HIV+ patient, being a person born into disadvantaged class,....
For once, I hate my privileged existence.