Okay what would a web site dedicated to Stopping HIV in Nebraska be, if there were no HIV+ people steering its direction!
A few quick thoughts come to mind:
- BORING-Just like every other site filled with stats, & research-Super Boring.
- MEANINGLESS-With no value to the user-YOU, there would be no reason for this site. So Meaningless.
- HO-HUM-Wasting your time with stale content can only produce an entire site of, Yawn, Ho-hum.
We WON’T have it!
Since the day we got our diagnosis, and everyday since, we have lived with these three letters making our heads spin. , We never thought much about the future as a result, either.
Now, our collective dealings & experiences with being HIV+ including treatments, doctors,, society, reactions of our families and friends, are all about to finally pay off! We are ready for the challange of sharing it with you-Through the shared content, or the opinions or blog posts we will showcase here.
Whether or not you are HIV+ yourself, know someone with HIV or have a family member living with this diagnosis, this site is for you, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy hand-crafting it!
Drum roll please…Introducing well, US Ta-dah!
We are the members of the Nebraska Red Ribbon Community (NRRC-Est.2001) and we have lived through a time when three simple letters connected us to a world we didn’t ask to be part of. Shame and fear went hand-in-hand back then. We held our tongues, our hearts in our throats, and our breth, hoping no one would find out, and the information was given, “On a Need-to-Know” basis only. We are glad we are now considered “Long-Term Survivors”.
It feels good, wait…BETTER THAN GOOD, to be here. We are glad those old days are mostly just memories, some great and some sad and tearful . By now Most of the pain has subsided, and courageously we for the most part, wear the “battle scars” those years brought us, still impacting us Body, mind & Spirit.
We now have a voice and we are ready to share it all with you!
The NRRC members represent all types of transmission risk: Needle use, MSM (Men who have Sex with Men), and Heterosexual sex. We are men, Black, trans, Latino, women, and White. We are all someone’s child, a brother or sister to another, and have been a lover, a friend or a family member to others in our community. Some of us are married, some still work, and some forget they even have HIV, with others volunteering by doing public speaking to get the word out about HIV transmission and the risks associated with getting it. We all have the same mission, though.
“Nothing changes unless some one changes.”
The Red Ribbons ALL care about keeping the next Nebraskan from getting an STI/HIV diagnosis, and that is the CHANGE we want to bring about for our fellow Nebraskans, too!
We are dedicated and feel like now is the time to get active about “Being the Cure” for HIV! By empowering those who aren’t as yet, infected with HIV, but continue to practice high-risk behaviors like unprotected oral, anal or vaginal sex, sharing works/needles with someone infected with HIV, or becoming a mother to a child without knowing your HIV status and breastfeeding, so in giving STD FACTS, we hope to help decrease the “Community Viral Load” (Based on how many HIV+ cases per capita) and making Sex Safer for our entire Community as a result!
The more community members who know their STI-HIV status means less people will get an STD passed to them in that community. Its a math thing here, make sense?
There is NO SUBSTITUTE for PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, EITHER! KNOW YOUR STD/HIV STATUS! It’s where it all begins! No DO-OVERS in the STD Game, though, sorry!
Bad STD News:Unfortunately, in Douglas County the largest county in the state and where the most Omaha residents live, the rates of STD’s are on a steady rise. The age group most impacted remains 13-25, and Women of Color are impacted by HIV. Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Trichomonas, Herpes, and HPV rates continue to increase. recreational drugs, like meth, Opioid use, and alcohol abuse directly play a part in STI transmission rates, as these all make sex seem less risky by taking away the ability to make a good, clear decision, in the “heat-of-the-moment”. Like when we are exchanging sex for another thing we need, food, drugs, money, housing, . Or when we feel threatened, or believe we have no other choice in that moment, could all be good enough reasons for STD’s to be transmitted.
Reducing drug and alcohol addiction directly decrease STD rates.
Numbers decline when we all start practicing safer sex, like using a condom, a new one everytime a sex act is performed, changing it after one use, and Practice-n-Play, so you get used to using them and make using them funner! Okay, it’s not a word, but you get it.
Knowing body fluids associated with STI’s, ways STD’s are actually transmitted by what you do, and signs of STD illnesses, will go a long way in helping to keep you better protected. knowing that you should get tested regularly, shows you are willing to do your part to Stop STD & HIV transmission in Nebraska and the surrounding area. Be part of the CURE!
Our hopes & dreams for this blog are well, PRICELESS!
- To shed some light on the importance of getting tested & connecting to treatment & care. Know your OWN STI status!
- Reacting to news articles, and new HIV research which we find interesting.
- Sharing our collective knowledge on topics from dating with HIV, to current treatments and finding a good HIV doc.
- An opportunity to promote safer sex behaviors, and empower people to know their STD status-It’ll save a life. Maybe yours.
- Give a voice to those who live with HIV/AIDS and want to be part of “The Cure”!-One person at a time.
Not only do we plant to keep yu “in-the-know” about issues surrounding, HIV prevention, education and research, but we also plan to be a bit silly, have some genuine fun, answer some of your pressing questions, and tell the truth about where HIV has been and where it might be going, in our Opinion.
Don’t be left out on this trip of ours! Bookmark this page and check back often for more of our “wise words of wisdom” regarding living successfully with HIV in Nebraska.
Any content on this site is the property of Nebraskahiv.org and it’s staff. Don’t use any content published here, to replace any of your doctor’s advise or orders. We are not responsible for any action you take after reading our content. Please feel free to share, along with any citing necessary & we’ll do the same with content we post here. All Rights Reserved/With Permission.