Ad Terrace Review —

Wednesday, December 5, 1990

Young woman
brings personal
message for
World AIDS Day |

by Michael Kelly

In July of 1989 Kecia Larkin was
told by a paramedic after an acci-
dent that the man she had been
living with for the previous eight
months was infected with Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The following September her
blood test results came back: posi-

‘tive.

Larkin, 19, has taken a devastat-
ing blow, the knowledge that she

will almost inevitably develop
AIDS, and transformed it into a
source of personal strength for the
benefit of others.

"It began at a suicide prevention
workshop,” she recalled in an
interview Saturday in Terrace. "We
discussed many issues affecting
native communities. A provincial
health worker mentioned interven-
tion workshops... I started in July."

What she started was a speaking
tour, talking to any group that
offered to sponsor her, on the.
facts, myths, and personal impact
of HIV. She has avoided govern-
ment sponsorship. "I freelance,"
she said. "I’m not tied into the
government. Nobody tells me what
to do or where to go. I’m indepen-
dent."

Travelling with her companion
Clayton, Larkin has been going
virtually non-stop since July of this
year. "We took two weeks off at
one point, resting at home... spent
some quality time with my cat,"
she recounted with a laugh. Larkin’
grew up in the Alert Bay area in
northern Vancouver Island but now
lives in Victoria.

In the northwest her engagements
included stops on the Queen Char-
lotte Islands, in the Nass Valley
and Terrace. Saturday evening —
on World AIDS Day — Larkin
spoke at a well-attended open
house in the Skeena Health Unit
auditorium, sponsored by the Ter-
race District Teachers’ Associa-
tion. Monday she spoke io peer
counselling and Family Life Edu-
cation students at Skeena Junior

Secondary School.

‘Larkin said each session is dif-
ferent and the questions young
people ask her vary widely. "Many
of them ask me, "Do you feel sick
yet?’, or, "Are you scared?’

"Others ask me if you can get

HIV from a drinking glass... or say
the cook in a restaurant has HIV
and cuts himself and the blood
gets on a cucumber, can you get it
then?"

Larkin says she did become sick

with something that feit like a flu .

in the spring of 1989. "I ignored it,
but I had the feeling then that it

wasn’t the flu, that there was

something really wrong with me. It
didn’t seem possible at the time."

There is little the doctors can do
for her, except the usual health
advise: don’t smoke tobacco or
drink alcohol and other general
care instructions.

At an age when most people are
pondering their futures, Larkin
discovered that everything would
be different for her. "I was shat-
tered for a short time. In some
ways I'm still shattered. I know
I'll have no kids, family. I have to
live with it, and ] guess I’m far
from happy, but that’s reality.”

She said an acquaintance of hers
who has HIV gave her a subtle
view of the situation. "None of us
have any control over when we’re
going to die. In a way we have an
advantage, because we do know.

"I try not to limit myself, like
thinking I have 10 years to live. I
go moment to moment. I tell
people that no one is going 1o take
care of us except ourselves."

The World AIDS Day campaign
this year, the. third of its kind
initiated by the World Health
Organization, is emphasizing the
risk of infection for women. The
campaign is attempting 10 counter-
act the belief that the disease is
confined to homosexual men, and

Lake intersection
to get lighting

After a wait of almost two years,
Lakelse Lake residents will finally
get street lighting at the intersec-
tion of Highway 37 and Lakelse
Lake Lodge Road. For some time
now, many lake residents have
considered this intersection to be
hazardous at night and during
times of low visibility.

John LeSage, a Kitimat director
for the Regional District of Kiti-
mat-Stikine offered support over a
year ago. when he .said.. many
motorists approaching the intersec-
tion aren't. aware, : of Ahe exact

location of the intersection. LeSage

called it a dangerous situation.
The Ministry of Highways

refused to bear the entire cost of

street lighting, though, and it was

only recently that a cost-sharing
formula was worked out. The
ministry will pay a portion of the

cost while lake residents benefiting

from the upgrade will pay 50 cents
for every $1,000 of net taxable
value of land and improvements. A
bylaw required to allow the project
to proceed was adopted by the
regional board last weekend.

Women’s risk of getting AIDS is the thrust of the third annual World AIDS Day campaign this
year. The campaign enlists the help of organizations on a local level to make people aware of the
kinds of behaviour that put them at risk for becoming infected. The poster above appeared in many
Terrace locations over the past two weeks.

that women have only a marginal
risk of getting it.

The most recent statistics show
that there are 806 British Colum-
bians with AIDS, of whom 17 are
women, The disease has caused
514 deaths in B.C. since January

1983. It is estimated that 3,500
British Columbians have HIV, 250

of them women, Information,

advise and counselling on HIV and
AIDS and how to prevent them is
available from the Skeena Health
Unit —~ in confidence,

ANIGROW ER
th "Siconcas ZN,

Time is running out to get your

635-5178

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Dr.R.E.M. LEE

HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

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