Archive for the ‘HIV + Children’ Category

What if Jesus Has HIV?

What if Jesus Has HIV?
It was our childrens’ favorite moment of the church service.  The trays holding small cups of wine were being passed down the aisle.  With many little ones, this is a precarious moment each Sunday, but with lots of practice, we rarely spill a drop.  A prayer was offered and we lifted our cups...
March 12th, 2010 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

From Uncertainty to Confidence: Learning about HIV

Once I knew that it was possible to adopt a child with HIV, my questions came in a downpour. Fortunately for me, my friend Emily is a nurse practitioner who specializes in HIV, so she became the recipient of my long phone calls. What I learned surprised me: I feared that we might adopt an HIV+ child,...
February 4th, 2010 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

Who Could Possibly Want HIV+ Children?

Who Could Possibly Want HIV+ Children?
I wrote an interesting letter yesterday.  An orphanage caring for  HIV+ children recently partnered with an adoption agency that was happy to work with them and eager to find families for these little ones.  But then something changed.  The orphanage director began to doubt the interest of the American...
January 12th, 2010 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

World AIDS Day: Five Things You Can Do

World AIDS Day: Five Things You Can Do
December 1st is World AIDS Day. Does it matter to us? Should it matter? Many of us have lived unaffected by HIV/AIDS, but in Ethiopia, my children’s birthplace, there may not be a single person who can say that. Every day children are orphaned by this incurable but treatable disease; they are...
November 12th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children, Health | Read More

Fighting HIV with “Powerful Medicine”

Both of my daughters were on antiretroviral therapy when they arrived in the United States. Antiretroviral drugs, referred to as ARV’s, cannot cure HIV, but they slow the growth of the virus. In our house we call them our “powerful medicine.” These drugs are saving my daughters’ lives. My...
November 10th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

“How’s Your Heart?”: Filling My Adopted Child’s Heart

“How’s Your Heart?”: Filling My Adopted Child’s Heart
Our first reports of Dimples used words such as “active” and “energetic”. We chuckled a little, knowing that those presumably understated words could describe some of our other children. Then my friend went to visit Dimples and wrote to me: “She is absolutely the most outgoing...
October 20th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

Unexpected Gifts

Unexpected Gifts
The fiddle melody winds through the room as a woman in a denim skirt calls the dance.  We move in a circle, forward and back, then do-si-do, and he moves on to the next partner. Him: A young black man, cornrows in his hair, baggy jeans belted low, too cool for words.  Me: A 45-year-old white woman,...
September 30th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

Who Wants to Know?

Who Wants to Know?
If you asked parents of HIV+ children about the most challenging issue they face, you might be surprised.  While many of us have nagging fears about our children’s overall health, their viral loads, or ARV therapy, our overwhelming concern is how to handle disclosure.  Over and over again that topic...
September 10th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

Why Adopt an HIV+ Child?

We began our adoption journey wanting to make a difference in a child’s life. Russ and I were moved by the devastating AIDS orphan crisis and believed that adopting a child was the right response for us . Besides, we loved children and were eager to add more life and love to our family. We never...
July 25th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More

You Have HIV

I took my children to a Kids Safety Fair today where we had a great time chatting it up with firefighters and police officers. We got free bike helmets, played fitness charades, sat on a State Police motorcycle, had a “tour” of an ambulance, and sat in the driver’s seat of the fire...
June 27th, 2009 | Feature, HIV + Children | Read More
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