Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1988. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald, - Saturday, December 17 1988
Kitty Oliver, Herald Columnist
Eighteen months ago Betty tested positive for the HIV virus, which causes AIDS. Her husband has also tested positive. So has their 16-month-old daughter.
Betty and her husband used intravenous drugs. Six years ago they entered a Narcotics Anonymous program and have been clean ever since. The warning sign of persistent swollen glands during rehabilitation and afterward raised the possibility of a thwarted future.
Their 12-year-old daughter doesn't have the virus, but she is no less a victim of the plague. Her adolescence has been tinged by circumstance. Her situation seems anathema to the spirit of Christmas, a time of hope and goodwill toward mankind.
BBetty and her family live in Hollywood. You may have stood behind them in a supermarket line, or eaten at the table next to them at a restaurant, or pinched the baby's cheeks in the pediatrician's waiting room. Perhaps your child or grandchild sits next to the 12-year-old in some eighth-grade classroom or swaps secrets and food in the lunchroom.
If most of their friends and associates knew the private torment beneath the veneer of normalcy, they would shun the family -- even at Christmas, a time of wishes and miracles.
Betty once made a good second income working for a beauty salon. She worked there when, 5-months pregnant and still a resident of Coconut Grove, she got the call from Jackson Memorial Hospital with the shocking results of the AIDS test.
There was a 50-50 chance that the baby would have the virus, she was told. It was too late for an abortion. At birth, the baby received a condemnation for life.
The doctor said the infant should not be put in day care because of the potential for exposure to deadly infections, so the mother stopped working.
The family's survival now depends on her husband's income as a salesman, plus help with monthly bills from Center One, an AIDS referral, resource and counseling program. During the holiday season, Betty has been cutting hair occasionally to make extra money. The stress on her husband is beginning to show.
"Our health so far has been doing really great," Betty said. They've changed their diet, read books about positive thinking and have faith that they will survive at least another five years. By then they believe a cure for AIDS will be found.
MMeanwhile, there's Christmas -- a time for presents and the promise of better times.
With the dual point of view of an adolescent, the 12-year-old maintains an attitude that is both wise and rebellious. She is aware of the health condition of the rest of the family, fearful of the eventual consequences, helpful in the wake of the problems, yet, when it comes to Christmas, she is a child with desires.
That's something I can identify with.
Two weeks ago, I was a victim of a thief and dismayed. Since then, several positive things have happened. Business associates, as a show of goodwill, contributed money to replace what I had lost. In response, some of that money will be used to help Betty's family, much in need of a miracle.
And in keeping with the holiday spirit, there are many others who need a helping hand. If you're like me and you have something to be grateful for, why not celebrate by contributing to Toys for Tots? Call 583-0170 or 587-6848.
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Copyright © 1988 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.com.
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