April 2011

The reason? The lack of support I received from within the HIV community in running the Brighton marathon for CHIVA (Children with HIV Association).

The day itself was awesome. Wearing a costume was fantastic fun, the overwhelming support from the crowd, especially hearing the kids laugh as a man version of Tinkerbell ran past, was priceless and shall remain with me for ages. My friends and family positioned themselves at various locations along the route to add their encouragement and as I literally fairy skipped and pirouetted across the finishing line at 4 hours 22 minutes. I was pleased with my achievement.

What disappoints and baffles me is that the vast number of people I know who work within the HIV community and people with HIV themselves on the whole failed to put their hands in their pockets and throw in a couple of quid for a worthwhile cause.

Most of the people I know who are HIV+, myself included, contracted it behaviourally and so in many of our cases we had choices. The 2000 or so under 18s in the UK who have HIV had no such choice as they were born with the virus.

If you are HIV+ and reading this, I want you to stop and think about all the challenges you have faced since your diagnosis. I bet shock, denial, self loathing, stigma, prejudice, starting meds, adherence, disclosure and rejection are all in there somewhere. Tough isn’t it?

Well, now imagine an 11-year-old going through these and add the challenges of puberty, transition to high school, sexual awakening and having no one to talk to about being HIV+ into the mix. Life for these youngsters is tough, I mean really tough.

Unlike some of the larger children’s charities who had hundreds of runners collecting donations, I was the sole runner for CHIVA. Their summer camp is a crucial way to support these youngsters and provide the peer support they wouldn’t otherwise have.

I passionately believe that we can overcome the challenges that face us as HIV+ people but only if we care for each other and look out for the most vulnerable within our community.

I realise that times are hard and we have all had to tighten our belts over the last few months but that's even more reason to find a small donation. Where has this country’s sense of community disappeared to? I’m no Bob Geldof but I’m beginning to see why he got so angry in the past when presented with the argument of donor fatigue.

What really sticks in my throat is that a large number of HIV+ guys I know can regularly find the cash for numerous quantities of class A drugs but the thought of doing something altruistic seems as alien to them as walking on the moon.

Rant over.

Have a good month.

You can send donations to CHIVA here: www.justgiving.com/Paul-Harrington224

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