Last fall semester, I also had the opportunity to listen to Kathy's story once before in my Sociology 346 class; race, class, and gender. I will never forget that Thursday in November for the rest of my life. As Kathy told her story to the class, you could literally hear a pin drop. The students were so interested in her presentation, as she sat in front of the classroom. There was even a male student who sat near the front of the classroom that went unconscious and had a seizure during her presentation. I guess he just became too overwhelmed with her story. I remember students in a panic trying to call 911 from their cellular phones, which included myself. Unfortunately, none of us were able to get any reception. So I went running down the stairs from the third floor of the Liberal Arts Building to call the campus police from the emergency pole that was located just outside of the building. After leaving the class for help, the student regained his consciousness and the campus police and paramedics arrived to assist him. Unfortunately, when I went back to class, Kathy was just about done with her tragic story. Ever since then, I had always wanted to hear the rest of her story. Last Tuesday morning, I was given that opportunity to hear the story from start to finish. I'm glad that I was able to hear her compelling story again.

Kathy is a very young, beautiful and attractive woman. If it wasn't for her class presentation, a person would never know that she has contacted this terrible life-threatening disease. She seems to have a very positive outlook, despite what she has had to experience in her life. I also think it's very sad, that Kathy may live for only another seventeen or so years before she passes away. I hope that in the near future, that a cure is found for Aids and HIV. Unfortunately, I don't think that the odds are in favor of a cure ever being found. I hope I'm wrong! It is my understanding that there has never been a cure for any virus. Furthermore, I give her allot of credit for staying in school and finishing her degree in Women's studies. Kathy, definitely has a lot to offer society. Many weaker people would have given up hope already!

Well.. what can I say about Rick's presentation? He was definitely to the point! There was no B.S. with his story. I wasn't aware that it has been estimated that over 42 million people have been infected with Aids/HIV and that last year 4,000 people in Long Beach alone were diagnosed to be infected with the disease. I was also amazed on how many pills he needs to take on a daily basis for the rest of his life in order to survive. That's just horrible.

Regardless of a person's sexual preference and/or practices, I don't think any body deserves to get this dreaded disease. I also give Rick credit for coming to our class and educating us on this particular tough subject. It must be pretty draining to speak about this subject. In conclusion, on behalf of my classmates, I would like to thank Kathy and Rick for coming to our class and sharing their experiences with Aids/HIV. I believe they may have possibly saved some lives on Tuesday morning!