Internation AIDS Memorial

Yesterday was the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial in Ottawa and across over 115 other countries. This is the second year that Ottawa has been doing the memorial. I was at last year's memorial with my Baba and I thought it was really good. My partner at the time pretty much organized it and my really amazing friend Elliott was there dressed in his suit with red flip-flops lol and he did a passionate speech; they had other speakers and performances. This year I found the whole thing a little different for me. So much has changed in that year since the last memorial. I have a few friends with HIV, and in February I lost a friend who died of AIDS-related illnesses. So this year, sitting in the park holding my flower and candle (that are distributed by the AIDS Committee of Ottawa to people at the memorial), it was a different mood for me. Last year was more of a celebration for the health of my friends and a silent protest to the less than adequate support and everything for people living with HIV. This year, it was more somber for me, thinking yes that I'm happy my friends are healthy (some healthier than me most of the time lol), but I thought of my friend RIchard. I met him while I started doing my community clinical placement with Bruce House and he quickly became a friend of Amanda (my clinical partner) and mine. He was always happy (even when sick or not doing very great). He was beyond easy to talk to and helped us immensely with our project at Bruce House. I would see him every once in awhile downtown doing so shopping or what not. Then after my placement I continued to volunteer there because Bruce House was more family-like than work and I had become really close with all the residents and staff. After a while, I was unable to continue volunteering during the year because I was working part-time and full-time school with clinicals and it just got to be too much. Then I found out in February that Richard had died. I was supposed to go on a trip to Miami with a friend, but cancelled it so I could make his memorial. It was a great celebration that Richard would've liked with everyone singing and dancing to the YMCA and other songs. So he's what occupied my mind a lot through the speeches and the performances last night, in addition to my friends still living amazing lives with the virus. It was another beautiful memorial! Hopefully next year's will be a little happier for me.

Clarence In My Bedroom

As I finish the last bit of packing my bedroom, I come across my accumulation of used needles and IV needles that I have not taken the time to bring to a needle drop-off bin. The IV needles are from the times Emilie and I practice our nursing skills on each other. I know people think this sounds crazy, but to us, we'd rather be better at the skill and not need to practice and poke our patients tons of times. The regular needles are from the monthly allergy injections that I give to myself because I don't have the time to keep my serum at a doctor's office and then go to the clinic every month and wait for my shot; so I give it to myself. The sharps bin I got from the needle exchange in second year and is WAY over its capacity! The time I first got the needles from the needle exchange in second year, the nurse working the site thought I was starting to use drugs (since I had no track marks) and she said it was breaking her heart that such a young kid was getting into street drugs and was turning down all the vitamins, and sterile spoons, etc. The latest batch of needles for my allergy injections was acquired at the Aids Committee of Ottawa. I guess I'll be dropping these off in a drop-off bin before the move.