As I lay in the dark listening to the radio this morning I was reminded that not all the news about AIDS and HIV is negative. Today is World Aids Day and we know that in Africa huge numbers of people are affected by this disease and tens of thousands of children have been orphaned.The radio interview was with a doctor from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto who is currently spending ten months of each year in Zomba, Malawi, working in an AIDS clinic, With a population of 13 million there are less than 100 doctors addressing AIDS.
The doctor, a woman, spoke with confidence about the difference the clinic is making. She gave the example of a nurse who is working in their pediatric unit who had been at death's door until she began taking AIDS drugs provided through international health organizations. This nurse has gone from being at the verge of adding to the grim statistics to helping others return to relative health.
The doctor is working through Dignitas http://www.dignitasinternational.org/articles.aspx?aid=12 which has the great slogan Living Results. In today's interview she described the positive results she sees with people such as her nurse as "the Lazarus effect." The biblical story of Lazarus is in John's gospel. Jesus raises his friend from the dead after finding Lazarus' sisters mourning and wondering why he hadn't been there to make a difference. It's good to hear good news today about those who are giving selflessly for the benefit of others.
2 comments:
Finally some hopeful and inspirational news! How appropriate when we lit the candle of hope yesterday on the first Sunday of Advent.
Our church's Outreach Committee has supported Dignitas International for the last number of years. The Outreach chair person nominated Dr.James Orbinski, DI's chief medical officer,for an honorary degree from Queen's University. He received that degree on May of this year.Dr.Orbinski's book, "An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-First Century", is by all accounts an inspirational but disturbing read.
You're right Shirley that there doesn't seem to be much good news these days although I am regularly reminded that there are people and organizations that refuse to be daunted by the tasks before them and make a difference.
Where would the world be without the tens of thousands of church groups supporting so many of these good causes.
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