Why am I involved in the fight against AIDS?  This is a question that I have been asked a number of times and my response is more or less always the same.  How could I not be?

            When I first  had the opportunity to know fully the information about this disease, the virus which causes it, how it is transmitted, how it is prevented, the truth and not the misconceptions or taboos which surround AIDS, I found myself fascinated with the idea that we could help many people by sharing this information with them.  I thought, well, this is very good for me and I can just fold my arms and feel good, watching always what comes into my body and what goes out and always feel good that the virus will never enter into my body.  But then I thought, well, with this information that I now had, I could help someone else, my neighbor, a family member, lots of others, and then I could see that if we got more and more people and we all banded together, we could make a big difference in the spread of this disease.

            We’re often looking for some way that we can help our fellow man and do something which will make a special difference.  But we’re often occupied with other things and a busy schedule and make lots of excuses why we can’t do this or that.  And that’s why it’s so surprising when we meet someone, who is as busy as we are with as much to do, but that person makes the time to dedicate himself or herself to a cause or to the services of those who have less than us.  What makes these persons different?  They have somehow found, deep in their hearts, a reason to make the time to do for others.  Something similar is happening to me.  I think I could not sleep at night, knowing I had the information we all need, and not sharing it with others.  Such immobility would be a hard problem for my conscience.  Something must be done and someone must do it, and the sooner the better.

            And so I enjoy myself being a part of this group of people, working and giving talks about all that we know, giving out our fliers and explaining about prevention and answering questions and dispelling the myths about HIV/AIDS.

            In the fight against AIDS we need more and more people to take a part, to volunteer and collaborate in this work, taking concrete actions toward our common goal.  And little by little, they will come, as they realize that a life can be saved, a life that need not be lost, if we take the time to share our information.  It is the greatest gift that we can give:  a life.

Nancy Mayagoitia

“Voice” of the Frente Común Contra el SIDA