[speaker002:] okay start us
[speaker001:] okay all right well I guess you know I I wasn't expecting that question about AIDS so I haven't thought too much about it but I guess I think that we should have more research um I'm just concerned that it's just going to be such a major health problem
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] and if we you know and if it's not I say it would seem to me the sooner we take care of it the better off we're going to be
[speaker002:] right because it's just getting worse and worse and worse and worse
[speaker001:] well that's what I think and it's going to start affecting all of the population you know I mean right now yeah you know and it's just going to become such a huge issue
[speaker002:] yeah yeah it already has
[speaker001:] and it's just so scary that there's just not much that can be done at this point so I guess
[speaker002:] right although they are doing a whole more than they were five years ago you know they're living longer and and their medicines are a whole lot better so they're not having to go through as many of the as of the other diseases
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] or so it sounds anyway as you know when when all of this first started out they they came down with every single disease that came down the pipe because they had no immune system and they suffered so much worse
[speaker001:] yeah yeah right yeah
[speaker002:] so you know at at least they're making progress but they've got to get it stopped they've got to find a cure
[speaker001:] well well I think so too and so I guess I would you know personally I would be really in favor of that now I have had um I have two friends who've died of it
[speaker002:] so have I
[speaker001:] and uh so and those have just you know it's just been real hard and I just hate seeing people you know go through this
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] so and I keep thinking it's going to hit our church eventually you know it's like uh it's it's real interesting to me that we've not had anybody yet but you know it's going to just start affecting I think everyone
[speaker002:] well yeah well especially with you know surgeries all the time
[speaker001:] I know
[speaker002:] it's so scary
[speaker001:] it is really scary you know I I thought of that for myself for like for my children this whole issue of the whole blood issue is very scary
[speaker002:] uh-huh right
[speaker001:] because you know people don't know that's the thing there's a factor there's a time factor in there
[speaker002:] right yeah and you know well with the time factor it could be up to ten years
[speaker001:] I know
[speaker002:] you know so that's what's so bad and and you may test negative this time but you may test positive you know two weeks down the road
[speaker001:] I know
[speaker002:] so the test is relevant for that very day but not necessarily forever
[speaker001:] well that's right and I think you know people give blood innocently enough assuming that they're okay I don't suppose anybody would give blood if they felt they I don't know I guess they might but
[speaker002:] yeah  yeah
[speaker001:] uh you know I I would hate to be in a position where I would need a transfusion or my children I think it would be a real scary thing
[speaker002:] yeah and and like when I went in the hospital you have to sign a paper saying that that you'll allow them to give blood if they if you need it otherwise they won't do the surgery
[speaker001:] oh
[speaker002:] so what do you do I mean yeah you're given the option of signing or not signing but if you say no I don't want the blood then they they may say well then I'm not going to do the surgery
[speaker001:] yeah really there yeah right well because yeah then what are they going to do
[speaker002:] right right what what can they do
[speaker001:] um they have no other alternatives I suppose um well I I don't know I mean I just but then I think well uh yeah I guess that basically I do think we just need more research because that's going to sort of be the our only answer
[speaker002:] well yeah that's right and they've got to do something about it they can't put it on the back burner and just say well you know the research is going on is doing good enough because it's not there's no cure yet
[speaker001:] well and I worry you know the older my children get the more exposure chances of exposure they're going to have I mean I can't imagine well even for you being a single person I mean I think gosh how scary you know to meet people and
[speaker002:] you got it yeah
[speaker001:] uh you you know
[speaker002:] of course I don't have that problem I probably will never have to worry about that oh oh gosh what a shame
[speaker001:] uh well you might you know eventually
[speaker002:] slight chance you think
[speaker001:] yeah that might eventually happen but uh
[speaker002:] uh that's oh it it is it's like okay show me your papers
[speaker001:] I mean I mean really
[speaker002:] then we'll talk
[speaker001:] I know well it's just a it's just a sad thing and I don't know hopefully this is going to get taken care of at some point
[speaker002:] yeah well they're doing a lot over in Europe
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] with it and I know when Randy was so sick he was having medications flown in from Europe because he couldn't get his hands on it over here and uh
[speaker001:] oh this was your husband wasn't it that's right I've forgotten that you told me that but I'd forgotten
[speaker002:] uh-huh yeah so he was he had a lot of medication coming in from Europe
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and then he finally was able to get the what is it AZT over here only because he had connections that was not open to the public at that time
[speaker001:] AZT hum
[speaker002:] so I don't know but they've got to do it because it's it's everywhere
[speaker001:] well I know and and you know and make it available to people that that can use it I you know if I were sick I would try anything I think I mean what do you have to lose
[speaker002:] to everybody yes of course
[speaker001:] I mean that's what's that's what's so crazy I mean what's to lose at this point
[speaker002:] that's right there's nothing to lose so you may as well do whatever you got to do
[speaker001:] I would if it were me
[speaker002:] yeah or if it was one of my kids
[speaker001:] yeah I mean yeah you'd want you'd want everything available and then to think well it's available but you could I mean you know you could only get it in Europe um
[speaker002:] right no problem
[speaker001:] would would be a terrible
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] that would be a terrible thing
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] but um how long was he how long was Randy sick
[speaker002:] a little over two years
[speaker001:] hum
[speaker002:] a little over two years and at that point he was the fifth fifth longest survivor but see that was almost four years ago
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and now they're living a whole lot longer so but he I mean jeez he had everything under the sun he had hepatitis he had meningitis he got throat cancer
[speaker001:] hm
[speaker002:] and he never smoked even a grapevine much less a cigarette you know um just you name it he he just oh it was horrible it was horrible
[speaker001:] so he was really susceptible that's awful
[speaker002:] yeah and then I had another very dear friend of mine die four months after Randy did
[speaker001:] huh
[speaker002:] and uh he didn't know he was sick he'd just you know had a cold that he couldn't shake all winter
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] and kept getting sicker and sicker and finally went in the hospital and uh had pneumonia and both lungs were full and he died within about sixteen hours of going to the hospital
[speaker001:] um um well in some ways that's a blessing
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I mean it's such a awful thing to suffer through
[speaker002:] yeah yeah and his friend had died the year before
[speaker001:] well my huh
[speaker002:] and they swore it wasn't AIDS but I know darn good and well it was
[speaker001:] yeah yeah
[speaker002:] you know so ooh it's just that that's close to home
[speaker001:] well I know it is well my two friends both one one lived a fairly long time with it I'd say Ken had it well he thinks he had he was HIV for ten years you know I mean he no he thinks he had it even back in the early eighties um
[speaker002:] you're kidding um my gosh
[speaker001:] and then he died in eighty nine
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] so and then Terry