Children with Aids

Message: Another dedication :-)

Whether life is like smooth journey on the highway or as rough as Off-the-road journey, it's entirely up to our perceptions. We could either see the glass as half full or half empty. Anytime, we find ourselves sturggling in life, why not we try to change the 'lenses' we are using. It's much easier and more efficient than changing the situation. Look at those around you, don't you realise that someone that complains everytime will keep complaining in everything that happens around them? Think about it. I have extracted the following article so that we know that even with the problems we currently see as huge as the sky, we are very much blessed compared many many others. Count our blessings dear.

Here's the story...

When my parents were still alive, my brother Thearith, 7, and I were very happy. There were five members in my family -- my parents, my grandmother, my brother, and me. My parents took good care of us, fed us, bought us nice clothes, bathed us, and played with us.My mother was a farmer, while my father worked as a taxi driver. My brother and I spent most of our time with mother. One day in early 2004 my mother felt sick, and we brought her to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed her as being HIV-positive. Then all of us, including my father and brother, decided to have our blood tested … and we all received the same result.A few months later, my mother passed away.Since then, my brother and I followed my father everywhere in his taxi. In just a couple of months, my father’s health began to deteriorate, and he could no longer drive. He then applied for work at a local car garage as a mechanic. It was very hard work for him. His health dropped dramatically, to the point where he could no longer leave his bed. We brought him to stay and be treated in the hospital.My grandmother never came to visit us. She began to hate us, and said to me: “If your father is dying don’t ever bring him to die at my house, go die somewhere else.”

My brother and I stayed in the hospital with Father. We had no money to buy food. One day, as I walked to the food court, I met a sugar cane juice seller who felt sorry for me and gave me some juice. A few days later, the doctor told me to get some medicine for him, but when I returned he had already passed away. It was just nine months after the death of my mother. After the death of my father, we could no longer stay in the garage. So my brother and I decided to come to my mother’s older sister’s house, hoping that she would accept us and let us stay. But when we arrived, she was not pleased with our presence. She did not allow her children to play or eat with us like before. She fed us leftover food even when she knew we were hungry. At night she made us sleep outside under the tree without mosquito nets. It was dark, and my brother and I were very frightened. My brother cried often, and Auntie chased us out of her house. We were skinny, dirty, and had itches all over our bodies. We were not allowed to use Auntie's water for baths.

One day in September 2005 as my brother and I walked passed a snack shop in our village, a merchant asked me if I had any relatives who could help my brother and me. At that moment, I recalled having another auntie in Ponlei village of Kompong Chnang province. The merchant lent me her phone and dialed the number for me. As I heard my auntie's voice, I told her that my parents died due to AIDS. My brother and I had no food to eat and no place to stay. I told her that we were skinny and starving and asked her to come and pick us up. I was very weak at the time and tried to speak louder so she could hear me.

Living with my auntie, my brother and I were well cared for. There were six members in her family -- her four children, her husband, and herself. As the breadwinner in the family, Auntie works very hard. However, the money she earned from vegetable sales at the market was not enough to feed the family. Even though she was poor and had four children to raise, she took good care of us as if we were her own children. I really love her. If I could make one wish and have it come true, I would wish to have lots of money to help improve Auntie's living conditions and offer some peace in her life. Now, I am in grade three. I am the first runner-up student in my class. In the future, I want to become a pilot. In my free time, I like to read books and color pictures. I participate in children’s club activities every month.

Note: Those highligted phrases to evident that a little kindness, a small extension of a helping hand goes a long way :-)