Our Story about HIV/AIDS
by
Allan "Jay" Fox, IV
Howdy, my name is Allan "Jay" Fox, IV and this is about my daughter Megan. Megan has AIDS! Megan and I traveled over a 100,000 miles throughout the United States and Canada telling "OUR STORY" of how HIV/AIDS has affected us and how it can affect you. Let me start by saying, Megan and I are not looking for your pity and do not want you to feel sorry for us because, we feel blessed with this unique opportunity to educate folks about HIV/AIDS. I want to stress to y'all that Megan is not dying from AIDS, she is living with AIDS
First, here are some facts and these are just the tip of the iceberg.
FACT I
The only way to know that you are not infected with is to be tested!
FACT II
In some countries over 50% of the population are known to be infected with HIV!
FACT III
Nobody dies from HIV/AIDS they die from complications of the opportunistic disease!
FACT IV
If it is discovered early on that you have HIV/AIDS you can be treated to slow down the progression of the disease!
FACT V
Many folks believe HIV/AIDS is a disease of only Gays and IV Drug Users. Let me tell y'all this is about as far from the truth as possible!
FACT VI
In 1992 it was estimated that as many as one out of every one-hundred people in the United States could be infected with HIV and not even know it!
THE FOLLOWING IS OUR STORYIt all started back in 1963, when Megan's mother, Carol, and I were married. However, it was not until 1982 that we decided to start a family. This is when all our problems began, but at the time we were not aware of them. Carol's gynecologist told her that to conceive she would have to undergo surgery for the removal of Fibroid Tumors. During this surgery, she received a blood transfusion that was contaminated with HIV. We were not to learn about the HIV for over eight (8) years.
On June 15, 1984, Carol and I were blessed with the birth of our daughter, Megan Alyssa Fox. For the next six (6) years we were as happy and proud as any parents could be. Then in November 1990, after some routine surgery, Carol's White Blood Cell count was found to be low. After running several tests, Carol commented to her doctor, do you think I might have AIDS, as I had a blood transfusion in 1982. He told her that he didn't think she had AIDS, but agreed to test her for HIV so as to put her mind at ease.
On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, Carol's doctor informed her that she had tested positive for HIV. The following Monday, Megan and I were also tested. Our results took about ten (10) days to come back. When all test results were in, Carol and Megan had tested positive for HIV and I was negative. Since both Carol and Megan had HIV they were put on the same drug AZT. With both of them on AZT, there was no way to keep it from Megan that she and her mother had the same illness.
Carol was afraid of children being cruel toward Megan, so she wanted the fact that they had HIV to be kept a secret. Then in July 1991, the bottom fell out, as Carol was diagnosed as having Lymphoma Cancer. Since Cancer is one of the opportunistic diseases caused by a depressed immune system, Carol was now classified as having AIDS.
For the next five (5) months Megan watched her mother get sicker and sicker from the Cancer brought on by the same HIV she had. Then on Christmas day 1991, my wife of twenty-eight (28) years and Megan's mother died of Lymphoma Cancer brought on by AIDS.
I felt it was much more important to spend quality time with Megan then make rich people richer. Therefore to spend as much time as possible with her, I quit my job. By doing this I qualified for survivors benefits from Carol's Social Security as long as I took care of Megan. By changing our lifestyle and dipping into our savings I felt we could survive.
My plans were to travel and show Megan as much as possible during the summer of 1992. Then since Dr. Philip Pizzo of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was World renowned for his research on HIV/AIDS, I wanted to get her enrolled in one of his HIV/AIDS experimental protocols at NIH in Bethesda, Maryland.
We sold our home in Texas and moved in with my sister to maintain a residence of a sort. Then Megan and I hit the road for Alaska and the adventure of a lifetime. We traveled all summer and everywhere we went, I told both friends and strangers about how Carol had gotten HIV and passed it on to Megan. After traveling over 18,000 miles and experiencing nothing negative about Megan having HIV, we arrived in the quaint little fishing village of St. Michaels, Maryland. This was where Carol had grown up and was now buried. We rented a little house across the street from Carol's, parents. Besides being across the street from Megan's grand-parents and two (2) blocks from Carol's grave, we were only an one hour and a half drive from NIH, and Dr. Pizzo, and his outstanding research team.
Upon our arrival in St. Michaels, I decided, since the local population was only about 1,200, it might be easier to be public about Megan's HIV, than try to keep it a secret. During the 1992-93 school year, Megan attended the St. Michaels Elementary/Middle School. This is where I made my first public talk about Megan's life with HIV. Unknowingly to me at the time, I was creating a support group of the entire community for Megan and myself. Had it not been for this support I feel Christmas of 1992 would have been a total nightmare.
In January 1993 Megan was accepted at NIH where Dr. Pizzo and his HIV/AIDS research staff would follow her. This was where both Megan and I first came in contact and made friends with our true peers, those being other children with HIV/AIDS and their adult care givers. It was great support getting to know these children and we looked forward to our visits to NIH to see our new friends.
Megan and I again spent the summer of 1993 traveling over 17,000 miles and returning to the Yukon Territory
and Alaska. However, by the time we returned to NIH at the end of the summer, Megan had gone into FULL-BLOWN AIDS. Although Megan
was in the FULL-BLOWN AIDS condition she still managed to attend school during the 1993-94 school year and was promoted to the fifth grade.
In September of 1992 FULL-BLOWN AIDS was reclassified. Now it is not necessary to have succumbed to one of the
opportunistic diseases to be classified as having FULL-BLOWN AIDS. If the CD-4 cells in your immune system go below 200 you are said to have FULL-BLOWN AIDS.
During the summer 1994, we did not travel because Megan, had to return to NIH several times, because we were trying to start her on a new experimental HIV/AIDS drug therapy.
Megan is just like any other little girl EXCEPT SHE HAS AIDS. You will not get HIV/AIDS from her unless you do something really stupid. In fact you are more dangerous to Megan than she is to you.
As I stated in "OUR STORY" Carol received the blood transfusion that was contaminated with HIV in 1982, but it was not discovered until 1990. Prior to this discovery, HIV/AIDS was really of no great concern to me. I felt that because neither Carol nor myself were, PROMISCUOUS, GAY or IV DRUG USERS we didn't have to worry about HIV/AIDS. However, HIV/AIDS does not discriminate between who it infects. Just like Carol and Megan were, anyone of you could be HIV positive and not even know it.
The point I want to get across is, get yourself tested for HIV, because if you know you have the disease you can be treated. In addition you can take steps so as not to pass it on to someone else.
I like to use the comparison of HIV/AIDS to Diabetes. Nobody dies from Diabetes, they die from complications. Just like a Diabetic can live with Diabetes, so can a person live with HIV/AIDS. However, in both cases you must take the first step and be tested.
Most local Health Departments offer free HIV testing. These tests are confidential, whereas only you and the person who draws your blood know you are being tested. Likewise the person who gives you the test results and you are the only ones that know how you tested.
In Megan's case the discovery of HIV was earlier then that of Carol's. As I said previously she is now being treated at NIH by Dr. Pizzo and his fine research team. In addition she receives prophylactic drug therapy to keep her from getting some of the opportunistic diseases. hat it been discovered earlier that Carol had HIV, treatment could have been started and she may never had gotten the cancer she died from. Therefore, early discovery of HIV is of utmost importance to you.
In closing I would like to say. There is nothing to be ashamed of about having HIV/AIDS so, for the sake of you, your loved ones and the rest of the world get yourself tested for HIV.
Thank you for reading this and may God Bless each and everyone of y'all.
