By: Nick Buglione
Wearing the same vibrant, enthusiastic smile as others her age, Giselle Velez is to all appearances an attractive, healthy 18-year-old girl who enjoys singing and dancing.
Stepping up to the lectern in Nassau University Medical Center's auditorium last Wednesday, however, Velez told quite a different story. "Hi, my name is Giselle," the high school senior told the assembled crowd. "I'm 18 years old and I'm living with HIV."
Velez contracted the disease over 10 years ago when she was sexually molested. It has been a trying struggle, she said, but one that has given her a new perspective on life. "I'm not going to say I wasn't depressed for a while, because I was," said Velez, who learned she had HIV eight years ago. "You have to keep a positive attitude to stay alive."
She has made it her life's mission to educate the public on HIV and AIDS, and was on hand at NUMC to commemorate World AIDS Day, which this year focused on a section of the population increasingly impacted by the dreaded disease: Women and girls.
Speaking frankly to the teenagers in attendance, Velez warned that if they think they can't get HIV, they're wrong. "I only ask that when you have sex, you use protection," she said. "If my words can stop one person from getting HIV and AIDS, then my time is truly well spent."
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was first identified more than 20 years ago. Transmitted through the transfer of bodily fluids, by way of sexual contact, intravenous drug use and blood transfusions, AIDS destroys the immune system's ability to fight off disease.
About two years after AIDS was identified, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control determined that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, causes the disease. Since then, great strides have been made in the treatment and diagnosis of HIV and AIDS, yet the disease remains a real threat on Long Island, health officials said.
"There is a dark gulf that divides many of the lives of those infected with HIV," said Dr. David Ackman, commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Health. "Now their prospects are better, but we still have not found a way to return those infected to full health."
In 2002, Long Island had 205 new AIDS cases and 103 new HIV cases, according to the county Department of Health. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, like Africa and Asia, the disease continues to decimate populations.
Since men are more likely to transmit the disease to women than the other way around, the number of females infected has grown at alarming rates. "Who are the women getting infected?" said Dr. Janice Verley, director of the NUMC AIDS Program. "Most of them are teenagers."
NUMC is home to one of three AIDS-designated treatment centers on Long Island. It ends up handling most of the county's AIDS population, however, since minorities make up a large percentage of those infected, and NUMC is a public hospital.
NUMC's AIDS Program is currently treating about 550 patients, Verley said. "There is more complacency, and there is less of a sense of urgency than in the late '80s and '90s," she said, noting that advances in treatment have softened the public's outlook on the disease.
As a sobering reminder of its deadliness, however, the names of the 33 victims who died of AIDS while receiving treatment at NUMC this year were read at the ceremony. "Every year there seems to be fewer names than the year before," said Sister Maureen Chase, director of the NUMC Pastoral Care Department. "It fills me with hope."
As a living tribute to those in Nassau County whose lives have been touched by HIV and AIDS, dignitaries broke ground on a memorial garden on the grounds of the hospital. "It's important that we continue to get the word out that AIDS is real," said Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who took part in the groundbreaking.
A joint project of NUMC and the county Department of Health, the garden will feature three trees and seven bushes -- donated by a landscaping service -- near the hospital's Carman Avenue entrance. There are also plans for benches, a cement walkway and a granite stone adorned with a memorial plaque, though funds must still be raised for that part of the garden.
Anyone interested in making a donation should make checks payable to Nassau University Medical Center Auxiliary AIDS Fund and send them to the NUMC, 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY 11554.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
