The End to Blogging


What I have Learned….
I can not believe that this is already the end of the semester! I feel like it has been a wild ride and a huge learning process. I have learned probably more than I ever thought I would in an online class in this one. This past week I attended the men’s panel and was really impressed. The Men’s panel was more then I expected. Each man present had a phenomenal story to tell and did not hold back one bit. I was very surprised on how they just said what was on their mind. I was very intrigued by the whole experience.
I have learned so much in the past few months and hope to keep learning in all my classes the way I did in this one. I also have a new found appreciation for HIV and people infected with it. I really enjoyed the class.

Did You Know…
That Africa has a society that offers safe transfusions. Africa is one of the countries that do not test blood. The Africa Society for Blood Transfusions has a website: http://www.afsbt.org, that can be utilized for learning and even contacting. This society has so many tools that can be used to make Africa’s blood supply safe. Join this site and make a difference to help people in Africa since blood transfusions can transmit HIV.
My Progress…

I have finished almost all my work and am working on my paper for assignment 6c. I am writing my feelings towards the blogging experience and am loving it.

DID YOU KNOW….
In Africa, HIV is passed along through blood transfusions. As of December of 2009, 250 to 500 people every day in Africa would contract the disease from transfusions. The risk is very high and patients usually know the risk but choose to take the blood anyway. Worldwide HIV contraction through transfusions is 95 %! This unbelievable statistic is true! Check out the article!

http://www.mediaglobal.org/article/2010-01-04/hiv-transmission-via-transfusions-in-africa-remains-high

What I have Learned….
This week I have learned that HIV patients have to take a lot of pills. I feel that that amount of pills is stressful. As I did the assignment and finished it up to turn it in on Friday, I was just stressed. That amount of pills messes up your day. I did the first one and all my pills really only had to be taken in the morning and night but it was still hard to stomach 18 pills. I really learned a lot in the project and have so much respect for HIV patients.
My Progress…..
This week I am waiting for the quiz to open and trying to complete some extra credit assignments. I can not believe that we are almost through with the semester which means my wedding is coming up! So I look forward to learning more and for the semester to be finished.

My progress….
I have finished my journal for the M&M simulation and learned a lot. I am currently working on the summary and am looking forward to turning it in. I am also looking forward to attending the men’s panel next Wednesday night since I missed the women’s panel. I look forward to hearing what they all have to share with the group. I am sad to say that the semester is coming to an end so I am trying to wrap all my work up.

What I have learned…
This past week I have learned so much. Sunday night as I was trying to put things in the garbage in our kitchen closet, I stepped on a huge shard of glass and sliced my foot open. The kitchen looked like a murder scene, blood everywhere. This being my house, I didn’t have to worry about getting a disease but it had me thinking if I had been in a strange place and this happened. I could get HIV from just cutting myself on a dirty piece of glass or just about anything. The true reality is you can get HIV, not from just doing drugs, having sex, or even blood transfusions. This class really makes me think how much I did not know when I started this class about HIV. I really appreciate all that I have learned.

DID YOU KNOW…That health care workers can get HIV from their jobs!
There have been many cases in the US that HIV transmission has occurred on the job in hospitals. In the health care setting, workers have been infected with HIV after being stuck with needles containing HIV-infected blood or, less frequently, after infected blood gets into a worker’s open cut or the eyes or inside of the nose. The number of cases is 57 documented cases and 140 possible one.

Did you know….
Hemophiliacs that died in the 80’s from infected blood could have been saved. It was said today that if public health officials would have not been preoccupied with saving money, there could have been more lives saved. More than 2000 hemophiliacs are dead from tainted blood.
What have I learned…
This week has given me a lot to think about? The M&M is so difficult. The medicines that are supposed to help a person deal with the disease gives you more of a headache. There is so many different schedules to try to fit into your day with work, school, and family. I find it hard to swallow big pills and to try to get the peanut M&M down with a glass of water. This really shows me that what HIV patients have to go through is harder than I ever thought and want.
My progress….
I am on day three of the M&M simulation and look forward to the end. I am journaling every day and its hard work. I look forward to finishing up the rest of the semester.

My Progress….
I am looking forward to the M & M simulation and all the things that come with it. I am also looking forward to the men’s panel since I could not make the women’s one. I am working on finishing up my module due this week and look forward to more learning.

What have I learned…

I learned a lot about the whole testing process and hope to keep learning more and more interesting facts. I thought I new a lot about HIV and AIDS but every week I just suck up more and more information. This week to me is dedicated in raising money for the HUG Me foundation. I have created a flyer and posted it to my refrigerator and have had my dad take it with him to work. I think that this is a great foundation and I would love to raise as much money as possible for it.

Did You Know…That people with hemophilia once were number one in contraction of HIV?
Blood transfusions were the number one killer of hemophiliacs before 1985 and the coming years after, even though testing was made possible.

Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins died September 12, 1992

Anthony Perkins and his wife Berry Benson kept it a secret of his dying of AIDS for two years because he feared he would get discriminated as an actor. He was a bi sexual man and to his wife’s knowledge did not know where he had contracted the disease. The actor is well known for his role in Psycho. The sad part about this disease is that the reason people knew about his illness was that it was leaked to the tabloids. This was before privacy laws and although it was kept quiet until after his death it was still hard for his family to deal with everyone knowing. It is sad but that’s the life of an actor-their life is on the spotlight.
http://www.aegis.com/news/sc/1992/SC920906.html

EAZY E

Eric “Eazy E” Wright died on March 26, 1995 at 6:35pm



Eazy E was one of the founders of the infamous rap group NWA. Their fame and status are still talked about today. The rapper died of an AIDS related pneumonia. He never said the actual way he contracted the disease but had seven children from six different women. He had unprotected sex a lot because of his fame. He was the first pop artist to die from AIDS that was not openly gay. He was diagnosed with AIDS on March 1st and died on the 26th. His fight did not last long.
http://www.eazy-e.com/eazy_e_death_details.php

DID YOU KNOW… How many people have gotten HIV from blood transfusions since 1985?

The truth is since HIV testing began in March 1985 on blood donations there has still been issues of contracting HIV from transfusions, blood components, or tissue. There have been 4,959 cases reported to the CDC since and most of them are children under the age of 13. There is also a chance of 1 in 38,000 to 1 in 300,00 chance of contracting HIV from blood transfusions, components, or tissue.
http://www.thebody.com/content/whatis/art17239.html


What I have Learned…..
I have learned a great deal in this class about HIV and AIDS. It is amazing to me how much I did not know and still am learning. This class has a lot of work but it is beneficial information. I have learned so much on the different illnesses that can be life threatening for HIV and AIDS patients. The signs and symptoms were an great learning experience.


My Progress……..
I am progressing rather well in this class. I unavoidable messed up on the last module though. I think that with all my classes I get rather confused easily and did not follow the proper instructions and my grade reflected that. I hope to do better on my next assignments and look forward to finishing up my movie reviews due Friday. I have 2 and a half done and will finish the rest tomorrow.

What I have learned….
I have learned a lot in the past few days. I watched two of the videos for the movie reviews and was floored to find out the statistics from back in the 80’s. It shows the magnitude of the disease and how clueless everyone was. I learned a lot about different diseases as well.

DID YOU KNOW?
HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusions- In hemophiliacs in the 80’s HIV was the leading cause of death. Most hemophiliacs were given infected blood transfusions and got the disease. In 1985, HIV antibody testing was created and the problem was solved for future cases but as for the thousands who already contracted HIV there was no turning back.

My progress….
I am done watching two of my four videos and am working on my signs and symptoms module for Friday. I have also been looking at next weeks assignment and getting ready to start it.

What I have learned so far…
I have learned so much in only a month in this class. I never really knew what my family viewed and saw HIV as until this week’s question of the week. It was amazing to see their opinion and views and compare them to the things I am learning. I see that everyone has some learning to do and we all need to become a little more open minded as well.
I have also learned a lot about my reading habits. Going into my book choice I was dreading it but my mind changed as soon as I started to read the first page. This book was and is phenomenal and I am on the last chapter all in a matter of days. It is riveting and just keeps me not wanting to put it down. I have to say I am not a big reader but a book like my choice book, I could read all the time.

DID YOU KNOW…HIV is connected with blood transfusions but only in a small percent in the US?
In the United States alone, the risk of contracting HIV through blood transfusion is 1 in 1.9 million. There are a lot of precautions taken in the US to avoid this risk. When a person donates blood, they are asked a series of questions to see what their risk of HIV contraction is and each unit of blood is tested for HIV. This is an amazing fact!!!!!!!


My Progress…
This course is a lot of work but I am well on the way to moving into watching my videos. I am also finishing up my book to put my finishing touches on my assignment and am looking forward to what the rest of the semester has to offer. This class has expanded my outlook and made me see things in a different view. I look forward to the upcoming assignments.

DID YOU KNOW?.... HIV can be transmitted through BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS!

According to the University of California, San Francisco, an estimated 15,000 people have been diagnosed with HIV due to blood transfusions (Transmission). The risk of HIV transmission is all the greatest with infected blood. Most countries test their blood as of 1985 but there are still countries that do not. The Question of the Week this week shows you that there are times where you will have to make a quick decision and your life will depend on it. I am a Jehovah’s Witness and to me the choice is easy-No blood ever. So there are many ways for you to look at the risks but keep in mind blood transfusions can transmit HIV….
Web: “Transmission of HIV.” The University of California, San Francisco. 2010 http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/InSite?page=kb-07-02-09>.


LEARNING…
I have learned so much in this class so far. More than I thought possible. It is funny that as much as you think you know, you have no idea. There is so much that I have learned about the statistics of HIV and AIDS that I was dumbfounded. The module one activity was life changing. The things young people think is just so dumb! Always use protection no matter what should be their one rule and it is not!

PROGRESS!!!!!!!!
I am progressing in Module 2 and reading my book. I am so excited to finish it because to me its very interesting and fun to read unlike other books. This has true life in it and real life language. I can not wait to finish!

Learning in this Class

This class this week has been very informational and full of so much learning. I am sometimes overwhelmed and get confused but I am learning so much. This week was filled with so much learning as I went to get my HIV test done at the Gathering Center in Orlando. This made me so nervous because I did not think it was necessary to get it done in the first place because of my beliefs on sex until marriage. I was so nervous that I took my mom with me and went. The experience was like no other. I walked into the building and everyone welcomed me in and talked to my mom as family. The counselor Char was a HIV positive man that has been for 23 years. He sat me down and just talked and gave me so much information about his life and having AIDS. He had me laughing after 5 minutes so that I got comfortable. He did the oral test and did questions and counseling as he would any other person. He told me how eveything was going to work out. He was so nice and even volunteered to come talk to our class. He gave me pamphlets and a calendar of events and invited me back to help voluteer. He was so nice. I learned that it was not so bad and had fun. It was not the big ordeal I thought it was. This class is definitely opening my eyes to much, much more.

AIDS Organizations In Africa

Africa is on the most affected continents in the world but has some of the most comprehensive non-profit groups looking after its people. There are so many groups that support and help HIV and AIDS patients. The first one is Children in Distress in Zambia. This group offers help to children orphaned by HIV and AIDS. In just Zambia there are 65,000 orphans. The next group is The Kenneth Kuanda Children of Africa Foundation. This organization was founded by the former president of Zambia and serves to provide help and support for AIDS patients as well as orphans. The Luke Society of Uganda serves to help HIV positive people fight against common diseases like pneumonia and malaria. www.lukesociety.com The next organization Salima HIV-AIDS Support Organization. This group makes home visits to patients that are in late stages. They also support orphans and do testing. My favorite group was Shining Stars of Monarch. This group is an all volunteer group dedicated to orphans and feeding programs as well as raising awareness in Francistown, Botswana. There are so many other organizations in Africa dedicated to helping HIV and AIDS patients. If you want more information you can visit: http://www.menfromafricainc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=47&Itemid=74

Did You Know About ...People that contracted HIV from Blood Transfusions!

It is sad to say but some people can contract HIV from blood transfusions. Although in developed countries blood is tested and heat treated to avoid the infection there are still countries that do not have ways to test blood thoroughly and HIV is shared.
In China in 1999, over 70 people contracted HIV through transfusions used to save their lives at the time. The blood used to be bought from people wanting to make money and now it is banned due to contaminated blood. The Chinese government actually made it illegel to buy blood and HIV tests are mandatory.
Before 1985 in the United States, blood transfusions were a main source of the contraction of HIV. Before the HIV test came in 1985, it is estimated that over five thousand people contracted AIDS from blood.
The truth is that now we do not have to worry about the issue of getting HIV from blood because of all the procedures that the United States has to test blood, but it is very sad to knw that what was used to save a life actually ended it.

It's A Hectic Life!!.....

Good Day to All!!!!
As I started this semester I knew I was in for a hectic life these four months and I really looked forward to it. I enjoy being strapped for time but I had no idea how hectic my life would really be until now, two weeks into the semester.
Let's start from before the semester even began....On September 13, 2009 I went to Downtown Disney with my boyfriend, my brother, cousin, and some close friends to take a hot air balloon ride, only to be disappointed by a Florida rainstorm. We were all sad and decided to have a drink at Raglan Road. About five minutes after we arrived I got the surprise of my life....Derrick asked me to be his forever and marry him! I definitely said yes since he is everything I ever wanted in my whole life and my parents were thrilled! Immediately my mom and I undertook the wedding planning and set the date- May 2nd, 2010! Its just around the corner and I am so excited. So that was my first wieght put upon me.
Second, I started a new job in August and it was part time so I was able to work, go to school, and plan and be okay but then work changed. I was transferred to the Infant room and recieved full time. I now work 9 to 6:30 every day and come home do school work, plan for my wedding, and have a healthy relationship and family life. Its been difficult but I have been managing. Then this semester came.
I thought it was a good idea to take the four of my eight remaining classes online so I could have more time at home and although I do, most of it is trying to get unconfused and do my homework and classwork. Its been difficult these last two weeks but now I finally got myself organized and I am doing a lot better. This class offers an opportunity to learn about HIV and the terrible effects it has on people. I have already learned a lot and am very much enjoying it so far.
I feel as if I can get through this semester, I could probably get through just about anything. I look forward to it!

Blogging for the first time!!!!

I am not confused anymore! YAY!!!!