With contentment, it is easy to face the death

IT was in a day two years back. It was an unforgettable day and Nyi Nyi thought his life and hope were ended right away. He was hearing repetitions of a result from his HIV checkup report as if someone had been reading it out loud in his ear several times. Nyi Nyi found no words to speak out in that moment. Just lying awake on the bed and starring aimlessly he had been waiting the call of death for more than 60 days.
“It was a very clear message. It was the kind of message assuring me ‘You must die’,” Nyi Nyi said.
Nyi Nyi was not the only one in his family found infected with HIV that could proceed to AIDS. His dear wife, daughter and son were also found with HIV Positive. It was a dead blow and saddest moment in his life.
“Within a short time, my wife died and then my son. My daughter and I were alive but still with HIV. Our lives at that time were hopeless and full of despairs,” said Nyi Nyi, 33, who wears white T-shirt and deep blue trousers neatly.
“Things went the same for two more months and I still didn’t know what to do. With little knowledge on facing death I was just prepared to die. Days and nights went on and I thought staying just like that should not be the right way. There must be a solution if there is a problem. So I began going out again and started reading HIV related books. I learnt intensively on that subject and tried to understand as nearly as a doctor does,” he explained.
Since Nyi Nyi’s consciousness accepted the fact that he had to live with the virus he thought more on what could be done best before he dies. Thereafter his life was restarted with a new strength like the legendary phoenix that is reborn after descending into fire.
“The most valuable thing I got was my family’s warm understanding. So I stopped thinking about the past and began my life for the second time,” said Nyi Nyi who is volunteering at International HIV/AIDS Alliance (Myanmar), an international Non Government Organisation that is supporting people living with AIDS.

Untimely call of death
(Again here, your title doesn’t match with following paragraphs. So I changed it. U can change as you like)
Since it is unpractical to conduct HIV blood test country-wide there is not specific figure of how many people are infected with HIV. Many people living with HIV died untimely due to ignorance of their communities.
Lonely people with HIV positive reach AIDS stage much quicker and die earlier than patients who receive encouragement and caring of their families and friends, said Dr Aung San, a (---consultant -----) from Wai Bar Gi Hospital in North Okkalapa Township that especially treats HIV/AIDS patients.
“There still are cases where people with AIDS are being left at the hospital and their families never come back,” said a local staff from CARE (Myanmar), an INGO that is helping people living with AIDS.
According to the Ministry of Health’s figure HIV was first found in Myanmar in 1988 and treatments were being given to those patients since 1991.
“AIDS becomes the major challenge among contagious diseases in Myanmar,” Mr Guy Stall Worthy, country director of Population Services International (Myanmar), said in 2004.
“The actual number of people suffering the disease might exceed the official figure as some people are not hospitalised though they are suffering from AIDS or some fail to report to medical authority since they don’t know what they are suffering from,” a doctor who got a master degree specilisation on HIV/AIDS.
According to the statistic of (--Myanmar -National AIDS Program --), there were 338,921 people living with HIV/AIDS in Myanmar by 30 July 2004.

A tale told by Grace
In fact, Grace alias Swe Zin Htike is a former actress who could perform any character roles. Devoting most of her time for work and study she is now one of most active persons in combating HIV/AIDS in Myanmar.
Grace still has so many story-alike experiences of other peoples though she has already produced total of 90 HIV/AIDS educational movies and advertisements that reach to grass root level.
Looking over the computer and pile of documents on the desk Grace began telling this tale in her small office where its whole wall is covered with training and workshop accomplishment certificates.
“It was about a friend of mine. He used to work as a beautician around 1980s and by now he will be about 42 years old. I haven’t seen him for ages since the time I devoted to humanitarian works. I received a call one day from him asking me to come over to him. He greeted me from his bed and the whole body was covered with boils. So I referred him a doctor to ask whether he was still in a stage to take drug. I knew there was a medicine that could make him better and was available locally. But my friend couldn’t afford for the cost. So I called the company that was distributing the drug informing my friend was collecting the drug and I would be giving money for that.
His CD4 count was 180 when he first took the drug. (CD4 count is the number of white blood cell and normal person has between 800 and 1050/ML. If CD4 is below 500 then it is the sign of weakening immune system). So he enables taking the drug continuously since 2004 and I am giving the company end of every month when I draw my salary. He now becomes stronger and like a normal person. He re-opens his beauty parlor at Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay and can stand on his feet now.
Helping a person only is fine and it is within my reach. Would be great if more people like my friend can have such medicine. U Win Nyein (A-linn-dan) has also helped a patient in my request. These drugs cost around K29,000 when I first bought for my friend and the price shot up well over K50,000 once. Patients are to take the drug as long as they live. I think it is the right time to educate public about the treatment related issues in addition to the use of condoms.”
At this point Grace turned her swivel chair towards her computer indicating the end of her story.

Phoenix that revives from fire

Nyi Nyi now has certain knowledge on HIV/AIDS as he is learning many educational books. One day, Nyi Nyi happened to reach the AZG Clinic in Thakayta Township that is treating the HIV/AIDS patients.
Nyi Nyi said it was the place where he gained his strength not to give up the life and to start renewing his life.
“I met at that clinic with one person with HIV positive who is leading educational activities for PLHA (people living with HIV/AIDS). I really envied him. He is working as much as he can without surrendering his life. I was shared with his knowledge and became mentally strong again. So I help people as much as I can do including sharing knowledge and educating on health and drugs treatment,” Nyi Nyi explained.
Though finding HIV infection in his blood two years ago had made him felt like a person being sentenced to death Nyi Nyi looks healthy and strong as a normal person now.
The reason he can still live like a normal person is because of his deep knowledge on personal health care and positive approach towards the life.
Nyi Nyi said such positive approach to life, sympathy, positive thinking and loving kindness were the best medicine to encounter AIDS he is suffering.
“I have never thought that we people with AIDS were a step lower than others in our environment. Infected with the virus doesn’t mean we were in a status lower. Also, I didn’t respond to people who discriminate and treat us differently. My life becomes more meaningful after deciding to show those people in practical that we are not a lower class people,” he said while his eyes shining with self-confidence.
Nyi Nyi is involving in such activities as caring assistance at the hospitals for AIDS patients, burial services for deceased ones, finding jobs for those who are jobless and assisting for those who find difficult for accommodation by contacting INGOs based in the country.


Feeling of Insecurities
Chair of the Myanmar National Health Committee Lt-Gen Thein Sein (currently Prime Minister) said last year that HIV prevalence in Myanmar had dropped 0.2 per cent in 2006 due to the implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and reduction activities by local and international health and social organisations.
According to the surveys done in 2000 about 1.5 per cent (more than 200,000) of total adult population in Myanmar was being infected with HIV virus annually. Lt-Gen Thein Sein said as part of HIV/AIDS prevention and reduction initiatives a five-year national strategy for 2006-2010 was drafted by the authorities in collaboration with local and international social and health organisations and the UN agencies.
“HIV infection is spread especially via unsafe sex. However most people think that only sex workers. people are infected with such virus and because of that people who are infected dare not to come to the clinics or hospitals. Some give up hope and their lives ended unpleasantly. Our society should be aware of that more and needs to help those people.”
“I just wanted to ask those so-called normal people whether they can be abstinence. I want them to understand that we were infected because we didn’t have safe sex.”
These are the voices of people infected with HIV positive.
“Now the situation has improved a lot. Educational campaigns are also being done more frequently. Being a Myanmar Buddhist and an actress it was really hard to raise awareness on sex education, and I did it in public till 2002 while enduring various criticisms,” said Grace, a famous celebrity in Myanmar who attended the media leadership training programme in California University.
In Myanmar society, however, it is still difficult for people living with AIDS to get chances for employment.

Saturn of developed era
No one has expected two decades ago when AIDS was first found that the virus could shock the world and its people that much. Now virus prevalence is three times more than estimated figure. World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated more than 42 million population are infected with HIV/AIDS of which 80 per cent is the working age group of between 15 and 49 years.
Businesses throughout the world have to embrace the hard time since this age group is the backbone of workforce in every country.
Thus, it became critical to get a solution as quickly as possible to prevent HIV/AIDS infection. Similar to other countries, same age group was also most vulnerable in Myanmar, according to the document released by (---Myanmar National AIDS - Programme.---Experts expressed their concerns that such workplace problems as discrimination, mismanagement and rebukes on people living with the virus are likely to come into light due to the lack of awareness on HIV/AIDS.
The worst thing was the decline of world economy that accounted for 1.4 per cent of Global Gross Product annually, they said.
Since a survey conducted in 2003 showed commercial sex workers (CSW) accounted for 32.32 per cent of total HIV infected population in Myanmar it is critical to provide social and financial supports throughout the country.
“If a CSW infected with the virus continues sex business then it will become worse for her. Thus financial assistance should be provided so that she could start safe and normal small business like selling vegetables or snacks,” an INGO staff suggested.
However, a source close to INGOs thought the assistances provided by those orgsnisations sometimes were misguided as these assistances were made available with many restrictions.
“For instance, ARV is provided to a person with HIV. But with the clause that the patient must be living in Thakata, Hlaingthaya townships etc. Such restrictions should not be included anymore.”

With contentment, it is easy to face the death
“I think it is time to educate widely for treatment related issue in addition to prevention and awareness campaigns, which we have been doing since the beginning. For instance, there are many children and women left behind with HIV infection when their parents or husbands died of that virus. More care and treatment are really needed for them,” said Grace who involves in combating HIV/AIDS activities for many years.
“Our children care centre, Thu Kha Yeik Myoin, accepts and take care HIV infected children age between 2 and 12. So far we can accommodate 14 kids only,” said Daw Aye Aye Myint, head of (HHHP?????) Thu Kha Yeik Myoin.
Children from the centre are very few lucky ones though there still are many children throughout the country who are not lucky enough like them and are living in Feelings of insecurities since their parents passed away with HIV/AIDS.
It is important for those children to continue living without any emotional and physical damages in their remaining period since their lives are already numbered with the virus, and it is the gap still remains to be filled by the future society.
“Critical thing is to trust oneself. Keep in mind the fact that one day everyone will have to face the death. One’s life will be more difficult if he or she is to live in a community that doesn’t understand nor care with sympathy. Personally I think it is good if people treat us in sympathy,” said Nyi Nyi who looks like a normal person though HIV is still in his vein.
“I want people with HIV/AIDS to remember their peers as role model who died or alive but fought back the virus bravely. I also want to end my life while supporting and assisting people who are living with the virus like me,” Nyi Nyi explained his future plan for his remaining time.
People like Nyi Nyi who are volunteering their peers want others infected with HIV to contact to the relevant clinics and hospitals.
“Then they will know that it is not them suffering alone in the whole world. We can help and share information each other. We can tell each other where we can get ARV. One can get information on what is available where. For instance we can tell them to line up at Wai Bar Gi Hospital for ARV and etc,” a HIV positive patient explained.
Nyi Nyi now thinks that living with HIV/AIDS no longer makes him to be hopeless for the life. It gave him strength and thoughts to make changes in his life.
Nyi Nyi said he did not want others to get infected like him. Let the bad HIV virus be in his vein only and not others. For the moment, what he thinks always is what best things can be done at present.
Though he didn’t want to think about his past it visited to his mind sometimes. In the past, there were times Nyi Nyi behaved recklessly and that cost his dear life. However he is content with the current life with the fact that he now can do the social activities.
“I don’t think I would be doing those social activities if I was not infected with HIV,” Nyi Nyi said.